Elections

Since Tuesday was Election Day I got to thinking about the voting we did in school. Every year we voted for class officers and a homecoming queen, and then senior year there were the superlatives to vote for.

There are similarities and differences between the voting we did back then and the voting we did Tuesday.... ummmm.... we did vote, didn't we? :)

Anyway the biggest difference I can think of is that back then we all voted. 100% participation. Now it's a big deal if they get half of the people to vote.

I guess another difference was we liked all the candidates back then, whereas now we have at least a little distrust of everybody running.

Another difference was that back then one candidate didn't try to look good by telling us how bad the other one was, nor did they whine and demand a recount when they lost.

We also weren’t lumped into things like blue states and red states and ridiculed for not voting the way someone else did.

I guess one thing that is the same is we don’t always know how someone got on the ballot. I suppose they were asked, or volunteered or whatever, but there is always a little head scratching as we try to figure out how a particular person got picked for this or that office. I suppose there are qualifications for running for judge just like there was for running for homecoming queen, but I guess the qualifications for being elected homecoming queen are a little more obvious.

Anyway, I’m not begrudging anybody their office or position, then or now. I wasn’t interested in any of the class positions, and you couldn’t pay me to run for office. In the immortal words of Lyndon Johnson, “If nominated I will not run and if elected I will not serve.” Besides, I would have looked ridiculous in an evening gown. :)