Charlie's Angles

Those of us who think of elections in the same way as a spectator sport were thrilled by the Port Orchard City Council race between incumbent Carolyn Powers and her relentless challenger, Cindy Lucarelli.
In an era where we know most of the winners at 8:10 on election night, this little nail-biter provided a rare off-year thrill. After a month Powers emerged as the victor, by just twelve votes. Last week she was sworn in for another term in a seat she has held since 1988 while acquiring a new nickname, “Landslide” Powers.
This narrow margin of victory was almost as close as it gets. A few more votes for Lucarelli would have prompted a hand recount, which could have made it closer still. All this turns democracy into an exciting game.
But not everyone is playing. The Kitsap County Auditor reported 289 ”undervotes,” people who were registered and voted but failed to cast a ballot in this particular contest. Additionally, 18 people cast write-in ballots, and four of these voting for “Donald Duck,” or something equally ridiculous.
So I’m all for a good prank, but if a fraction of these 300 slackers showed a preference the results would have changed. Lucarelli might have won, or Powers could have increased her margin. More to the point in these days of governmental financial crisis we would have been saved the expense of a recount.
(This is not to suggest that saving money is more important than running clean elections or keeping the democracy machine tuned. But avoiding wasted effort and expense is always a good thing.)
2009 wasn’t a big election year, but quite a few important offices are at stake in 2010. For this reason, I suggest that everyone should color between the lines when it comes to voting, especially since whomever you elect will probably have a direct effect on your life before the year is out.
Or to put it another way, I can’t find fault with someone who votes ”wrong;” for someone that I do not support. But please don’t vote ”stupid.” If you don’t like the candidates, recruit a better one or run yourself. But these “protest votes” for a cartoon character are just ridiculous.
I have believed in the ”every vote counts” concept since childhood, and eagerly approached my first election, in 1972, with optimism and vigor. I carried signs for my candidate, and was convinced he would win if I could just convert a dozen people, who could convince a dozen more.
But my guy got creamed, and ”every vote counts” became an abstract argument. It even evolved into the useless “don’t blame me, I voted for the other guy” school of thought. That has changed, starting with the 2000 presidential election and extending to every one since.
Not every election will be as close as the race between Powers and Lucarelli. However, any Port Orchard resident who did not vote in this election and takes issue with Powers’ governance needs to participate from here on in.