We started this week with snow on the ground. Pure white was added to the green and scarlet leaves of slower turning trees, like the sugar maples and oaks.
Black Elk, an Oglala holy man, termed winter as the cleansing season. This is a good year for an early start to cleansing.
An October snow as November is near is an old-fashioned late autumn, one the old timers reference. Before digital devices, in my hometown, the old men sat on benches outside the courthouse opining on the world and whittling sticks with remarkably sharp pocketknives. The women did the same as they met for morning coffee or worked together on church projects. Somehow it seemed like a more civil and connected world when people expressed their opinions in person.
But maybe the good thing about the digital world is a bit more honesty about how people really feel. Problems reveal themselves. Problems cannot be solved unless they are recognized and acknowledged.
Bill Graham
Monday’s snow reminds us how the seasons keep moving no matter what is on our mind. May democracy be the same.
Here are some odds and ends as we slide close to election day.
At least it is not a damaging snow. A drought autumn made many leaves fall early. Thus, the snow could not accumulate on as many trees and add weight to break limbs and damage trees. At least not much. That has happened before in past Halloween season snowstorms.
We will be back to regular late autumn soon. I lift a caffeine-laden coffee cup in a toast to rapid atmospheric changes that makes Missouri weather always interesting.
I have never marked a ballot more carefully. Voting early seemed to make sense this year. This election and these times, standing in a voting booth feels dramatic. Platte County bears the shakes and rattles emanating from America. A car covered with presidential candidate bumper stickers was a reminder as I walked across the parking lot to enter the Platte County Board of Elections. Voting feels like a cannon shot this year.
Each Platte County ballot for the Nov. 3 general election contains several contested races and policy issues pertaining to national, state and county government. Quite a lot is at stake. Things that affect your daily life are on the ballot as well as choices that impact world affairs. I urge everyone to study candidates for local office and statewide issues as closely as they do the presidential race.
Heavy early voter turnout is not surprising. These are times for pragmatic choices that address real issues. No need to add COVID-19 risk and needlessly add length to a voting line on election day.
I will miss voting on election day. I always enjoyed the excitement and the feeling that I was playing a role in something real that matters.
We are blessed in Platte County with a reliable election system. Paper ballots are marked with pen. Your vote is counted as you slide your ballot into the scanner at the polling place. Computers tabulate results quickly. Problems can occur, but if they do, the reliable paper ballots can be hand counted. Plenty of provisions are in place should a glitch or contested result occur. Designated Republicans and Democrats oversee the process.
Does your vote matter? On the local level, I’ve seen municipal elections that had to be repeated because of ties, and several one or two-vote decisions. Sometimes only dozens of votes separate winners and losers at the state and national level.
A tip, polling place locations sometimes change. Checking on your polling place in advance is a good idea if you plan to vote on Election Day. For any help with voting, call the Platte County Election Board at 858-4400 or send an email to platte@sos.mo.gov.
Be well, enjoy autumn’s remaining days and vote.
Bill Graham is a long-time commentator on Platte County and its history. He lives in the Platte City area and can be reached at editor@plattecountycitizen.com.