by John Marcotte
On Town Meeting Day I had the privilege of working at the Williston polls. It seemed to be a very good turnout and it’s always nice to see fellow townspeople.
As the day progressed, I was actually shocked at what I was observing. An impartial poll worker, I kept my mouth completely shut, to the detriment of my tongue which I frequently had to bite. There was blatant action by Democrats requesting Republican ballots, I have to assume to vote for Nikki Haley and distort whatever support Donald Trump may actually have in VT.
It was actually sometimes humorous the efforts expended. For instance, a couple came in, wife took a Democrat ballot, husband took a Republican ballot. A few minutes late the wife returned, stated she had been informed she need a Republican ballot and asked if she could switch her ballot for a Republican one!
Many people were very confused about which ballot they wanted to ask for. A number of people asked if they voted as a Republican would that force them to vote Republican in November. One person flat out asked what she needed to do to insure Donald Trump could not win. Several people voiced their opinion of Trump, none were complementary.
A very high percentage of people under about 30 asked for Republican ballots. I doubt we have that high a percentage of younger voters going conservative, maybe I’m wrong there. One gentleman stated he was voting Republican this day but certainly not in November.
This intentional, and I believe organized attempt to distort Vermonter’s voting results is unfortunate at the very least. It does indicate the strength of the Democrat/Progressive party in VT with substantial support of shall I say Democratic leaning Republicans and the concerns I have as November approaches.
This coalition’s efforts were however very successful as I observe the local and national press reporting on the strong Republican endorsement of Haley and repudiation of Trump. Politics is treated as a game and the actual role it plays is the cause of the serious economic despair we find ourselves in. If this games proceeds, VT residents will lose as the politicians will seemingly win. That is not sustainable.
I did, however, find hope in the apparent awakening of the population that has voted down many town and school budgets, across the spectrum of voters united against the out-of-control policies and costs of living in our great state. School districts and towns need to view this not as a defeat but as a clear call that Vermonters are hurting. Fiscal responsibility has to re-emerge, tough decisions have to be made.
Do not respond with threats of doom and gloom. Sharpen your pencils, examine policies and function as employees of the people you work for, not as our rulers.
We need to recognize and nourish this common issue moving forward. We need to encourage a feeling of unity, common sense and economic reason as we move towards November. We need to mitigate people voting against Republicans just because they are Republicans, because of Trump. Our platform needs to be based on economics, public safety, inclusion and progress for all in VT.