Beyond the South End

Voting for the First Time

 

So we vote Tuesday. Thank God above! I was seriously concerned for the mute button on the remote wondering if it would last that long. Last night was “Masterpiece Theatre” night for Nanci and I so we didn’t get all the political ads for a change. We don’t have any premium channels to hide out in so our mute button is our best friend right now.

I first registered to vote in 1962 as a 21-year old. Later on in the 60s the Vietnam War protestors continually voiced their objections about soldiers who as 18-year-olds were old enough to fight in ‘Nam but not old enough to vote in their own country. It wasn’t until 1971 that the voting age was lowered to 18.

From Wikipedia:

The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right of US citizens, eighteen years of age or older, to vote on account of age. The impetus for drafting an amendment to lower the voting age arose following the Supreme Court's decision in Oregon v. Mitchell, 400 U.S. 112 (1970), which held that Congress may set requirements for voting in federal elections, but not for state or local elections.

On March 23, 1971 a proposal to extend the right to vote to citizens eighteen years of age and older was adopted by both houses of Congress and sent to the states for ratification. The amendment became part of the Constitution on July 1, 1971.

On a trip home from school in 1962 I presented myself to City Hall in Rockland which then was in the old train station on the corner of Pleasant and Union Streets. With birth certificate in hand I asked the City Clerk to be registered to vote.

The City Clerk at that time was Gerry Margison. At that time a literacy test was required so the officials knew you could at least read the ballot when it came time to vote. I believe Margison handed me a piece of paper with part of the Constitution on it, which of course I read with no trouble. I believe he then swore me in and declared me to be an actual voting citizen of Rockland, the State of Maine, and the United States of America. Since it has been legal for women to vote since the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution which was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920, I was then good to go. It was a proud day for me.

The first president I voted for was Lyndon Johnson. I was sold on his Great Society program which tackled the social ills of that era including racial issues. Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate, was from way out in Arizona somewhere and I would rather vote for a man I knew since the terrible assassination of John Kennedy, than a man I knew nothing about.

I can’t remember many of the people I voted for, but I do remember some people who left an impression on me, including Margaret Chase Smith, a beloved senator from Maine for many years. Do you think she would have made a good president?

Other politicians I have run into over the years include Maine’s Governor Burton Cross who I met when my eighth grade class made a field trip to the Capitol in Augusta.  I remember him as a very pleasant man who shook hands with all of us. I also shook hands with Senator Edmund Muskie who became Governor after Cross. However, Muskie was running for vice-president under Hubert Humphrey at the time. Muskie came through the composing room at the Hartford Courant where I was reading proof and shook hands with all of us.

I was always very proud of Mr. Muskie. He was from Rumford. He served as Governor of Maine from 1955 to 1959; as a member of the United States Senate from 1959 to 1980; and as Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter from 1980 to 1981. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in the 1968 presidential election and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 1972.

Muskie held the highest office (Secretary of State) by a Polish American in U.S. history, and also is the only Polish American ever nominated by a major party for Vice President.

A funny thing though, I believe I voted for Nixon rather than for Humphrey in that election. I remember thinking at the time that if only the ticket was switched around making Muskie the potential president rather than Humphrey, then I certainly would have voted for him. But of course, Humphrey had already been Vice President and was trying to move on up to the big office at the White House.

Guess what though? I voted for George McGovern in the next election, so you can’t blame me for what happened next.

The elections in Georgia

I have no idea who I’m going to vote for here in Georgia. If you believe all the negative ads on T.V., they are all scoundrels. We have second and third generation Georgian politicians running this time. One is Michelle Nunn, the daughter of long-time senator from Georgia, Sam Nunn. She’s running for the senate against David Perdue. The other candidate you will recognize is the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, Jason Carter, who is running for Governor against Nathan Deal.

It may come down to a choice of “least objectionable” candidate. Let me explain. When I was studying the media in grad school at Fairfield University in Connecticut, my professor said we often chose our T.V. viewing programs for the evening by using the “least objectionable” theory.  I would hate to think we would choose our next Senator or Governor by using this theory, but who knows? These days it’s not always easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Similarly, the professor also pointed out to us that reporters looked more reliable and believable if they stood on a lawn with the Capitol or some other significant edifice in the background. He called these so-called reporters “The Idiot on the Lawn.”

I wonder how many “Idiots on the Lawn” we’ll have to put up with come election night on Tuesday. Will it really be over then? I sure hope so.

Don’t forget to vote and thanks for listening.