To Those Who Ran
As I record this commentary on Tuesday, I have no idea who will win or lose the November general election.
The one thing we do know is that more candidates will lose than win. There is only one winning candidate, and often several folks who fall short in races ranging from president to local soil and water commissioner.
Yes, all those folks lost…but they are far from losers. Because they each did something most of us wouldn’t: put their name on a ballot for friends and neighbors—and total strangers—to consider.
In one respect, it doesn’t take much…just a petition with the right number of signatures submitted within a certain time frame. But that’s the easy part. The hard part, if you’re taking this seriously and I have to presume they all do, is to answer questions starting with “Why should I vote for you?” and ending with “What are you going to do for me?”
Increasingly, it’s not easy for families or friends of candidates either, given our insane levels of partisanship these days.
Given the growing lack of trust in public officials, you really do have to wonder why anyone would subject themselves to it all.
But thank goodness they do. Because the system only works when people participate at all levels. Ballots with empty slots where candidates should be are certainly not signs of a healthy political system.
So to those who got the word from the voters last night and made sure to pick up their yard signs before sunrise today…thank you for participating and giving voters a choice. You may not have gotten the most voters, but you deserve a ton of credit for entering the arena.
