Elections

Elections

Noel Laflin

5-16-18

Primary election ballots have arrived and I am reminded of how some of my childhood neighbors would seek my mother’s counsel regarding elections past.

Old man Art, a tobacco-spitting cranky racist came to my mother for just such advice some fifty years ago.

“Vi,” he said, “you’re the smartest person I know. Would you kindly mark up my sample ballot for me? I have no idea who these people are.”

So my mother did as requested and marked his sample ballot as she intended to vote.

Art was grateful and followed my mom's suggestions to a tee.

Had he known he’d just voted for the first black man in his life, a fellow running for higher state office – in the field of education, as I recall – Art might have not sought out my mother’s help.

And he was most likely the first Democrat Art ever voted for as well - in fact he voted for a whole bunch of them.