Grace lived in a nursing home, but there was a youthful naiveté and pleasantness about her. Not so with her annoyed companion.
As my friend drove them to the polls on Election Day, Grace's companion grumbled nonstop about the little irritants that daily plagued her existence. The ride was too cold, too slow, too bumpy, too ... too! But Grace didn't seem to notice. She was quietly apprehensive as she stared out the window.
When they arrived at the precinct, my friend helped them register and Grace timidly carried her ballots to the booth. It took her more than 20 minutes to vote, adding to the angst of her companion's day.
As they were leaving, an election judge offered Grace an "I voted" sticker, and she smiled as she watched as the simple red badge was placed on her coat. She visibly brightened as she confidently confided to my friend: "I'm so proud. It's the first time I ever voted."
My friend shared that story with me long ago, as I complained about all the logistical challenges we faced in conducting the 2002 election, which was marked by the untimely death of our incumbent U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone.
Mary's story reminded me about why our volunteer election judges put in all those long hours: They do it to ensure our citizens' right to vote in a legitimate, free election. Every one of our citizens. They do it year after year to affirm that we live in a democracy.
It is particularly disappointing that, the polls say, about 4 out of every 10 Americans believe our elections can be "rigged." As irresponsible pundits feed that paranoia with their wholly unsubstantiated allegations, they are shamelessly impugning the integrity of our dedicated local and state officials and precinct election judges. That's not just reckless, it's despicable.
The false critics and their unthinking adherents need to be reminded that elections are about the voters. Elections are not about their candidates, political parties, crusading talking heads or vigilante "election observers," whose mere presence is an insult to our committed volunteers. Elections are about Grace.
On that unusual Election Day 14 years ago, some of our volunteers watched the sun come up as they counted and recounted the ballots and special supplemental ballots to ensure the integrity of the results.
Mary, one of our most senior volunteers, confessed to me that she had felt faint earlier in the day. She dismissed my concern by affirming that she had never missed finishing her duties, and wasn't about to let this be her first time. And so, Mary's work day extended into its 18th hour.
I didn't know about Grace at the time, but I wish I had. I would have shared her story with my new friend at the counting table. I would have told her to ignore the critics.
And now I suppose I finally have.
John Gunyou lives in Minnetonka.
