At this point in an election, with less than a week to go, a
voter can feel worn down by the process. The attack ads escalate,
the brochures become slicker and more brazen, the whining
intensifies and voters begin to wonder what constitutes truth.
At this point in an election, with less than a week to go, a voter can feel worn down by the process. The attack ads escalate, the brochures become slicker and more brazen, the whining intensifies and voters begin to wonder what constitutes truth.
San Benito County is no exception. There have been complaints about mailers being misleading, about false or mistaken endorsements within the same party, about campaign workers brought in from out of town. It is, actually and unfortunately, pretty standard fare. The only exceptional bit of local campaign warfare has been accusations about stolen signs and headquarter break-ins in the Assembly campaign.
Are voters tired of it all? Could this be an indicator of why turnout has become abysmal on a local, state and national scale? We don’t know. But we do know that voters have been staying away. Here is a published quote from a San Benito County voter following the June primary:
“This is the first time in 56 years that I haven’t voted. There’s no one in this election that I want to vote for.” The voter turnout in June was the lowest in decades. It should be substantially higher next week. We hope so.
Experts say that the negativity surrounding the modern election has a long-term effect. In the short-term a negative campaign ad works against whoever is being attacked, some experts say, but in the long-term voters simply wear down and stop voting.
But all, however, is not bleak. Even when the unthinkable transpires, occasionally someone will rise above the pointing fingers. It happened in Hollister last week. It happened when San Benito High School Board of Trustee candidate Ardyss Golden was removed from the race because it was learned that her house was actually situated yards out of the district.
Golden has a long history of helping children and serving in the community. She was running because she thought she could help some more.
So what did she do when she learned of her removal from the ballot? Did she scream about fairness? Did she blame anyone? Point a finger?
She – and this is amazing – apologized. And she has refused to become angry about it.
“I’m sorry about what happened and they’re sorry about what happened, but I’m not angry,” Golden said. “It was an honest mistake that anyone could have made.”
When was the last time you heard someone running for office admit a mistake and apologize for it? In San Benito County? For that matter, when was the last time you witnessed an ounce a levity regarding any election matter in San Benito County?
Possibly never. Probably some time ago. So we would like to take time out from this election to thank Ardyss Golden for providing a sense of grace and common sense to the proceedings. Yes, it is serious business. And yes, it can be accomplished humanely. Perhaps if there were more of this, more people would bother to vote.
