Commentary: In Praise of Everyday Government

By R. T. Andrews

It’s Sunday afternoon and I have just returned from voting in person at the Board of Elections. It was a thoroughly satisfying experience in every sense of the word.

The plan was to vote curbside, an accommodation by the Board for those who are either disabled or at high risk of exposure to COVID-19. But an officer monitoring traffic, apparently unfamiliar with the procedure, denied its existence. Fortunately, we were armed with ballot familiarity, face shields,  N-95 masks, warm clothing, and hand sanitizer, and decided to stand in what was, at 4:20PM or so, a fairly short line on East 30^th Street extending only halfway down the block from Euclid to Chester. 

The sidewalk was marked with a green "X" every six feet, the line proceeded with alacrity, and we were soon enough at the door, where a pair of nurses stood digitally measuring forehead temperatures. We next entered a labyrinth of plastic sheeting that doubled back on itself again and again so many times that the hundred feet we might actually have covered felt more like ten times that, but not in any cloistered or uncomfortable way. A reassuring number of Board employees and County Sheriff deputies stood all along the path, giving us a feeling that we were in a safe space engineered for both safety and efficiency. 

When we got to the place of signing in and receiving our ballots, I noticed a Board employee with disinfectant spraying the place where a previous voter had sat. After verifying my identity [government issued photo ID] and confirmation of my address, I was given a printed ballot, instructed on how to complete it, an “I VOTED” sticker, and directions to a voting spot where I could stand or sit to complete my voting responsibilities. Five minutes later I was done.

The entire process, from getting in line to scanning my ballot at the end, took less than an hour. And I was sure, as always, to complete my ballot all the way to the end. If I skipped a judicial contest or two, it was an intentional statement and not an action born of fear or ignorance.

In addition to relief at having completed an important task, I felt a certain joy and camaraderie at completing a communal activity with my fellow citizens. I appreciated the palpable sense of collective responsibility among my fellow masked electors. 

I give kudos to our public officials, from the elected Secretary of State to our appointed County Board of Elections, to the Board’s professional staff, as well as to any volunteers or temporary employees involved in this year’s elections. 

It’s not a simple government operation in the best of times, and we are far from the best of times. We are in the midst of a life-threatening and life-altering pandemic, our economy is a wreck, our civil rights and liberties are under constant assault from well-organized foes both foreign and domestic, and our nation is in peril. People we should not trust are telling us we cannot trust ourselves, that our public officials are illegitimate, ill-meaning, and/or incompetent. 

Thousands of people are early voting in person in Cuyahoga County every day, in a complex operation across multiple jurisdictions. My vote today, along with the unprecedented numbers of early and absentee voters to date, both here and around the country, is not just a direct rebuke to the President and all others acting in collusion with him — yes, there is collusion — to undermine faith in our electoral system. It is also a testament of the efficiency and intelligence of many of our government systems that, notwithstanding their imperfections, constantly work to serve us all. We should continue to support them, even as we work to improve their operation and ensure evermore equitable access to their resources.

I hope and believe that Americans in 2020 will continue to vote in record-breaking numbers all across the nation. It may not be as easy for millions for them as it was for me today, but I assure them the rewards will be at least as sweet.

If that happens, I will stand in assured accord with Victor Laszlo  from Casablanca and repeat his resolute and immortal words: “This time I know our side will win!”

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This article originally appeared in The Real Deal Press. Republished with permission.

A Note and a Promise to Real Deal Readers & Commenters

Nothing means more to a reporter than to evoke a response to something he has written. It is validation that the work he does is important.

I am deeply appreciative of the responses to Tuesday’s post. I find it curious that all but one of the comments is cloaked in anonymity. I suspect that one or more of the commenters is a public official about whom I am writing.

It has been my intent to bring to light issues in Richmond Heights that have long been shrouded. I have hoped that an enlightened populace would move to action. This has begun to happen in both the public and private spheres. The outcome of these efforts is less important than the fact of civic engagement that is underway. As a friend of mine says almost daily, people need to be agents of their own deliverance.

I shall have much more to say about these matters over the next few days.

Two more points for right now: First, the Richmond Heights Board of Education did meet in emergency session on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. The board went into executive session with only the board’s new attorney, Charles Tyler. Superintendent Linda T. Hardwick waited outside with her attorney.

The board remained in executive session for a little over an hour. When they re-emerged into public session, they adjourned without action.

Second, I ask the indulgence of my readers who wish me to move on from Richmond Heights.  I wish I could quote here those lines of Rick Blaine to Ilsa in “Casablanca” about the problems of certain people not amounting to a hill of beans. But I will attempt to articulate in the next few days the why of what I am doing, and I promise to provide details to support what appeared in my last post.