Power of Election

Working in city hall, I had the great opportunity to witness first hand civic duty in all its glory. En masse, citizens flocked to the poll, seemingly coming out of the woodwork! And during this time many of the good citizens rediscovered how vital their role is in our free society. After voting, many took the time to walk around city hall. Some reviewed the massive redevelopment plans, others grabbed some literature and left, but there were a few who stopped to discuss the direction of the city and to voice their concerns as to how this or that should or should not happen.

But what really moved me was one man in particular. He strolled through the front doors dressed in dirty, tattered clothes with huge fro-like unkempt hair and a massive, greasy beard. The type you may see panhandling on the street or passed out under an overpass. The people standing around him made the usual gestures you may expect. One woman in particular was covering her mouth as she whispered what I'm sure weren't exactly complimentary remarks the person next to her.

I approached the man and he told me he was there to vote. I don't know why I was a bit surprised at this. Since donning the rank of public servant, I have been astonished and sometimes even flabbergasted at some of the personalities I have encountered, but nonetheless, I was quite proud of Bert, as he introduced himself. He went on to describe in great detail the aspects of each ballot measure and just how he was going to vote on them. Many of his points were very enlightening. So much, in fact, that they altered some of my perspectives on some of the issues this election. It just proves that no matter your background or whether or not you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to throw at a particular referendum, it all comes down to the point of view of even the lowliest of citizens, who, as I have witnessed, are very informed and extremely alert when it comes exercising our power of election.