California Dreamin'?
The Midweek Conversation
So let’s talk about California this morning. In the end, the recall had all the Election Night suspense of a Harlem Globetrotter’s game. Gavin Newsom won big, that much is indisputable. As to what it all means more broadly, well that’s a matter of discussion. So we figured we would put this topic before all of your wisdom in our midweek conversation.
Another thing is also certain. If Newsom had somehow lost (which this morning seems like it was never that much of a real possibility despite some frightening poll numbers for the governor earlier in the race) that would have been a disaster for the Democrats. Most importantly, because there would have been a new head of the state who didn’t believe in vaccines, a women’s right to control of her own body, and all sorts of other reactionary policies. But a loss, or even a close race for that matter, could have portended stiff headwinds for Democrats going into the make-or-break midterm elections in 2022.
Now that the opposite has happened, are there lessons in the other direction? Does this mean that the political toxicity of Donald Trump continues, even when he’s not on the ballot? Is this a vote of confidence for vaccine mandates, mask policy, and other pandemic responses based on science? Does this suggest that Democratic enthusiasm and energy is still there, even in a special or off-year election? Or is this a one-off case in a special state under special circumstances?
Once again, the pundit class has not exactly set themselves up in glory in analyzing what was happening in California. Instead of talking heads on television, we are much more interested in the conversation that could take place in the comments section below. So please weigh in and respond to each other. We are proud of the community you are helping us build.
Some ground rules for these Wednesday chats (and also the comments sections on other posts):
I want a space where people feel safe to express their views, as long as they are offered in good faith.
I want a space where ideas can be challenged, especially my own.
I want debate. But I want it to be civil.
I want people to come here with open minds, and open hearts.
I want this to be fun as well as serious.
We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
I worked the polls yesterday (my first time!) and learned a great deal about the security and integrity of our voting process. I live in a fairly blue district and expected the voters to retain our current governor (who is up for re-election next year). However, when we closed the polls, the Yes votes outnumbered the No vote marginally. A brief scan of the party designations indicated that the Republican and Independent walk-in voters vastly out-numbered Democratic voters. We also received many Vote-by-Mail drop offs during the day. We did not have a breakdown on those ballots, of course. But previous reporting indicates a vast majority of Democratic voters had sent their ballots in by mail.
Here's the thing: many of the people who walked into vote yesterday, carried their vote-by-mail ballots with them because they wanted to use them in person: "we don't trust they will be counted if we mail in" was the common theme. We patiently explained that they could not put their VBM ballots through voting scanner as the ballots had to be issued by the specific precinct polling place and the VBM ballots did not qualify. We encouraged them to put the VBM ballots in the envelope provided and turn them in. They would not. They would not even trust us to mark them as VOID and return to the County office. They were not allowed to take them into the voting booth as you are only allowed to have one ballot in the booth. Several refused to give them up! "No, I don't trust you to handle them", or "how do I know you will do the right thing?" or "I want a copy of my ballot to prove how I voted", etc. I convinced them to leave them on the check-in counter and they could pick them up on their way out. That seemed to satisfy them.
Several people were appalled we were using a Dominion scanner to count the votes: "they are crooked, you know! You can't trust them!" I wondered why they came to vote if they thought is all for naught. Perhaps because some small part of their consciousness was aware that voting still counts. Not sure.
I could go on, but I think you get the gist of the sentiment.
On the other hand, I saw a goodly number of young people casting votes with seriousness and determination. Their sentiment was that this was their first chance to vote and they wanted to do it in person this time.
To a person, we poll workers took our job very seriously. The oath we took at the beginning of the day guided us each through the long hours. It was jarring to have voters tell us to our face they did not trust us or the process. We nodded our heads at their dismay and quietly assured them we were doing everything we could to ensure the integrity of the process and moved on.
At the end of the day, sanity prevailed. But at what cost? I do fear for the future of our republic.
As someone who lives in California, I think a lot of the national pundit class really missed this one. There seemed to be an energy and determination in the "No" vote that might not have been observable in rallies or other public spectacles, but coursed through communities at the person-to-person level. This whole exercise in futility was a tremendous waste of money and time when we have so many pressing needs, but the irony for Republicans might be that Newsom and the Democrats running the state have been fortified and emboldened for their governance.