As I have been watching the Jan. 6 congressional hearings on the insurrection of 2021, (cue “Republican” outrage …) I have made a few observations. About a month ago, I voted in the primary election held in our county. I had a candidate that I really wanted to win for a certain county seat, and I spent a fair amount of time and energy doing what I could to get this candidate over the finish line. At the end of the day on Tuesday, election day, my favored choice was four votes ahead. I gritted my teeth and waiting in a fair amount of apprehension over the next week, only to find the end result ended in my candidate losing by just over 40 votes.
Here is what I didn’t do: go to the election office and scream “Stop the count!,” because I know provisional ballots also deserve to be counted. I did not harass or threaten the honest, hardworking election officials who are just doing their jobs. I did not go to their homes and threaten them with death. I did not blame Italy for changing votes on the voting machines. (What?) I did not file numerous baseless lawsuits that were thrown out of court for lack of evidence. I did not claim the election was stolen or fraudulent because my choice lost in a close election. I did not intentionally lie about the election, over and over and over. What I did say is “Gosh darn it, we lost. We tried really hard, and I feel pretty bad about this, but I will accept the results of this election, and try harder next time.” This is the way to lose an election, for anyone who has forgotten how democracy works.
And one final thought, an election cannot be valid and fraudulent at the same time. If a candidate wins their seat, they cannot claim fraud for another seat in the exact same election. You win some, and you lose some. The sticky point of democracy is that these decisions are in the hands of the voters, and sometimes, that hurts.
Valeri McGarvey
Kalispell