Is a New Day Dawning?

By Associate Member Barry Chodak

Towson, Maryland - Something was different about November 5th. The day began for me

around 4:30am, preparing for a long day as an Election Judge at our local Fire Hall. At 5:45, our team of twelve – two chiefs and ten Indians – began turning on machines. Our poll was opened at 7am and closed at 8pm, followed by tearing down and resetting the room.

The real story is what happened throughout the day. Voters with smiles were the rule. Lots of “thank you for the job you are doing” were a constant reminder that our voters appreciated the team. And the smiles from the voters were returned in kind by the twelve of us. This was what democracy is really about: being with people of different shapes, sizes, beliefs, and opinions in a setting that welcomed all. Lots of our voters brought their children (the youngest was seven weeks) and some ‘children’ brought a grandparent. At times, we cheered when a first-time voter checked in. I didn’t expect the day to be so inspiring.

As I reflected on the experience the next morning, what struck me was the comradery. Those who want us to believe that the country is coming apart need a wake up call; and the rest of us need to remember how to get along with our neighbors, in spite of the different signs on their lawns. We have an opportunity to get connected with our common purpose*. As for my team, we worked so well together that I can’t even tell you who was an R and who was a D. Those designations were only a fiction, one we can use to tear us apart or bring us together. For Upperco on November 5th, we were an example of the latter. It gives me hope for the future.

*If you have any doubts, read the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense