All I said was “Democrat”—and the voting registration computer suddenly conked out. I didn’t know what to think, tried not to ponder a conspiracy of sorts. I mean, I am one of the very few Democrats I know still living here in Texas. The poll worker kept hold of my drivers license and voter card; previously I had checked out as legitimately registered. Why did the computer go kaput seemingly when I uttered the D word?
Other poll workers were called over to check out the machine for a few minutes, then the head computer Meister determined it needed a reboot. That took a long time, ten minutes, when all I wanted to do was cast a ballot in the Texas March primary. Incidentally I had had a very long bad day, was dead tired, but the poll was convenient. So before heading all the way home, I voted or tried to after 5 p.m. The whole ordeal of waiting in line, being validated by my drivers license (with my picture) and voter registration card, took maybe 15 minutes—with me standing in dress boots enduring unbearable foot pain. A lesser American would have left; this was, after all, just the primary.
But in all good conscience, I could not stand back this year and allow the current Texas governor to remain in office without a fighting challenger. Not with the current state of backwoods anti-progressive hypocritical Christian measures the Texas Legislature and governor have set in motion: from banning the federal right to abortion as well as removing hundreds of school library books and textbooks to the know-nothings misperception on ‘critical race theory’ and butting into the handful of families across the state privately dealing with their child’s gender questioning—red hot issues that are none of our concern AND are intended to make us forget about the hundreds of Texans who died, billions of tax dollars spent, and permanently increased utility bills we now pay due to last year’s deep freeze debacle which was supposed to have been avoided after a similar ruinous week-long deep freeze in 2011 that made us a national laughingstock during the Super Bowl. See, everyone else in the U.S. is connected to the national grid and report hardly any problems like no electricity, gas, lights and heat during the winter.
But the most fundamental issue our Texas government has been monkeying with is the vote.
My eyes of Texas are upon them
Republicans in Texas and many other states went out of their way to stop citizens from voting especially mail-in ballots which is one Pacific northwest state’s only way to vote and works beautifully. But in Texas and similar overtly suspicious Republican-controlled states, it is voter suppression unseen since the decades in this country up to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Texas alone nonchalantly tossed in the trash 18,000 votes, claiming every single one of those ballots did not comply with newfangled measures supposedly to ensure rare if not totally made up voter fraud.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, voter suppression laws were passed in Texas along with the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Vermont and Wyoming.
This is purely a Republican charge. I’ve heard them belly ache about voter fraud since the days of Nixon and suspect it goes back further.
Our right to vote is so important that it is the number one issue that will lead to the collapse of democracy, according to the world history book How Democracies Die. It starts with a growing number of citizens convinced of voter fraud coupled with the pessimistic self-pitying sentiment that their vote really does not count no how because they believe there are mighty powers that are up to evil who in the end put into place who they want as U.S. President whether Republican or Democrat. There is no hope, and the little people like you and me are not in charge at all.
Vote doubters are quick to quote “We the people” in impassioned speeches about how awful life is in America. But deep down they do not believe that in this nation the People are the ones in charge. We elect leaders to govern in the best interest of everyone. Our leaders work for us. We have the opportunity to fire or promote them every election.
When few Americans vote—something else I’ve noted with shame my entire life—and the masses are apathetic until their right to vote is gone, authoritarian leaders take over rather quickly.
All of this because so many Americans choose to believe a lie.
The 2020 election was not stolen. Democrat presidential contenders won both the 2000 and 2016 elections according to the votes. But the electoral college voted differently than the popular vote. And the anti-Trump rallies held on a single day in major cities across the U.S. following the dubious 2016 election, attended by mostly Democrats and millions of others who did not believe he legitimately won, furious as they were they did not assault police officers, carry guns, or attempt to overthrow the government. They did not smear human feces along the marble halls of the U.S. Capitol.
The Russian leader was asked by candidate Donald Trump to help him win the election, knowing full well that their notorious government had the power to interfere with our computerized voting. And they did. Maybe. And still could, I guess.
So on the March primary, I stood firmly and waited patiently. I put out positive vibes. Nothing to see here. I stood self assured that I would get to vote, unlike my friend who was hassled for hours when trying to vote in the 2000 election in Florida. Remember that?
No, I kept calm, cool and collected at the Texas primary. Inhaling and exhaling, keeping my wits about me, keeping quiet and maintaining a sense of humor—and at long last was handed my ballot to go vote. I don’t have to tell you I went down the ballot pressing the computer screen of mostly Democrats and most especially one that will give our present governor a run for his money. Yes, money influences our elections and shouldn’t, something else I’ve heard all my long life.
But when we look at all the other government options in our world (and there aren’t but a few of them), democracy with all citizens voting is better than the alternatives. At least for now we have our freedoms like speech and press. Election nights may not be as ‘fun’ as a government professor theorized on why we Americans go through all the trouble to begin with. Eh, I’m fine with it and must participate. I want our esteemed leaders to know I’m watching their every move. Every day.