A year ago at this time, I was passing out candy at football games and trunk or treats, greeting people with my campaign flyers, and getting to as many civic meetings as possible. I was running for local office.
I competed with three other candidates for the At Large School Board Seat, and the political party most dominant in my county had endorsed one of my opponents. School board seats are supposed to be non-partisan, but this type of endorsing went on all over Virginia. Concerned, but not daunted, I called on friends and acquaintances, and even my introvert husband, and together, we spread my image and message across the county. Election Day involved a spreadsheet of volunteers and a tour to the 12 different voting precincts in my county to pitch myself to strangers. I smiled nonstop from 7am to 7pm.
But my campaign didn’t end on Election Day. The work did, but the waiting just began. At 9pm on Election night, I sat in front of my laptop watching results on the Virginia elections site. First I climbed up, then I feel behind my opponents. By 10, I took my husband’s advice, turned off the laptop, and went to bed.
The next day, it looked like I had won by 99 votes. The day after that, I got a call from the county registrar. The county had tallied votes correctly, but Richmond made a mistake recording our county votes, and I was suddenly behind. And not all of the absentee ballots had been cast. By the next week, after all mail-in ballots were counted, I led my opponent by a handful of votes. He called for a recount. I didn’t blame him. I would have done the same.
So, on a morning in December, I gathered in the basement of the county court building with election officials, the clerk of court and his staff, and a panel of three judges for the recount. I also was allowed to bring two friends who could observe the counting for me and speak on my behalf. The recount took more than seven hours. My opponent was there and also had ballot observers with him.
A few ballots were contested. In both cases, the voter had put a mark by more than one candidate for the same office on the ballot. What had the voter intended?
The election volunteers and officials did an excellent job of attending to detail and keeping things impartial and fair. In the end,
I won by a single vote.
That’s right. One.
To those of you tired of hearing about swing states, polls, and the Electoral College, let me assure you of this: YOUR VOTE MATTERS. Especially for local and state politics. Please, please, educate yourself, make a plan, and vote this election.
I learned a lot during my campaign, both about the power of local political parties and how many mistakes people make on ballots. Fill in the entire box. Choose only one candidate. Direct questions to your local election officials.
And lemme say it one more time…
Every vote counts! Including yours. Vote!
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
