By SHARI FRANK, guest columnist
Several members of the League of Women Voters of Brown County partnered with the Brown County Democrat newspaper to serve as media watchers at several Brown County poll locations on this midterm Election Day.
We’ve learned a lot about the complexity of managing elections and found so many good people working very hard to “get this right,” to make sure everyone who wants to vote can vote, and to protect voter rights.
This piece is part 1 of our observations.
Here, we celebrate some first-time voters, and a few of the special people we had a chance to connect with as we watched democracy in progress.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Would you drive an hour and a half to vote?
The polling place was calm. A slow, steady stream of voters walked in, flowing smoothly through the check-in and vote process.
A young woman walked in. She looked equally timid and determined. While having her ID checked, signing in and getting her ballot card, she announced that she’d just driven one-and-a-half hours to vote.
Her name is Samantha Francis. She is a junior at Hanover College, studying psychology. “I felt it was my civic duty to come home to vote,” she said.
After she voted, the poll workers congratulated her with a hearty “Thank you for voting,” and Samantha proudly donned her “I Voted” sticker to celebrate her very first time casting a vote.
“It felt great to participate in the democratic process,” she said.
Good friends vote together
Jon Johnson cast his first vote this midterm. He said “It’s really cool to have a part in the big picture. Growing up, no one listens to youth. So it’s really nice for a young person to have the opportunity for their voice to be heard.” He added, “It feels good to do our part.”
Jon came to the polls with his wife, Corinne, and a mutual friend, Kathy Roberts. The Johnsons are directors at Walnut Ridge Retreat Center and Roberts is a manager at Lutheran Hills.
Kathy talked about how she researched candidates before voting and found The Democrat’s publication of candidate responses to LWVBC questions really helpful.
Families that vote together …
Rachel Bessire is a freshman at Indiana University. She registered to vote when she was a senior at Brown County High School with a group there helping students register. (It might have been League of Women Voters of Brown County, but she wasn’t sure.)
On Election Day, her parents, Jack and Barbara Bessire, picked her up in Bloomington, along with one of her college friends, and took both students to cast their vote for the very first time.
Rachel said, “It feels empowering. It was easy, convenient, and the machine just shot out the card after I was done.”
She added, “And, I’m really glad the ads are over now.”
Dede Parry and her daughter, Faith, came in together to vote — for Faith’s first time. Faith is a freshman at Ivy Tech in Bloomington studying political science. Faith felt it was important to know the candidates before voting, so she researched information, watched the debates and made her decisions.
Her mom, Dede, checked in and voted with no issues. Faith, however, upon checking in, was informed she was not listed in the poll book. After some investigation, poll workers discovered Faith was incorrectly registered out of county. She could not cast a regular vote.
But, knowing the error could be corrected, the poll inspector walked Faith through the process of completing a provisional ballot. She advised Faith on how to get the problem fixed at the Brown County clerk’s office within the 10-day time limit.
For a first-time voter, this might be a little discouraging. But not for Faith. She was unshaken and was just glad she was able to vote.
Her mom commented how impressed she was with the knowledge of the inspector, who knew exactly how to handle it. She appreciated that the inspector just stayed calm, quietly doing what needed to be done. They were both thankful for the support, and it makes a good story about a first time voting.
How was the voting process for you?
We’d like to hear from you. How did it go?
Did you choose not to vote? Why?
Was this your first time voting? How did it go?
Was your experience smooth or did you have problems?
If you had problems, what were they and what was the outcome?
Was it hard or easy to get to the polls on time?
Did you vote early or absentee, or with the absentee travel board?
Share your story. Send an email to [email protected] or write to P.O. Box 149, Nashville, IN 47448.
Shari Frank is president of the League of Women Voters of Brown County.
