OPINION

Glad you don't live in Georgia this week? I am glad I don't vote there

'How I voted - and why you should care' revisited

Posted

Unless you've done what might be the smart thing and stopped watching national TV news, you know that there's a run-off election this week in Georgia to let the voters there vote for the third time for their choice for United States Senator.

Last month Thurston County voters participated in an election that some out-of-Washington-state Republican pundits and politicians would have challenged as being at risk of "massive voter fraud." (There wasn't any.)  

(You see, Washington State Republicans generally appreciate our universal vote-by-mail system. Much of it was fine-tuned and managed by one of their own, former Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who now works as Senior Election Security Advisor for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the Biden Administration. And before that, she served three terms as Thurston County Auditor. Did I mention that she's a Republican?)

Our county elections were certified last week, no muss, no fuss.

Regardless of whether you'd likely vote against Rev. Warnock or Mr. Walker, it seems to me that you'd be more comfortable doing so mostly indoors, in a warm and comfortable place, than having to stand even a half hour outside in the cold. 

Back to Georgia state politics

I frequently meet over Zoom with independent local-news publishers from around the country, including the editor and publisher of the Cobb County Courier near Atlanta. When asked whether it's true that would-be voters there have to wait for hours before they can step into a voting booth, and that it's generally illegal to offer comfort to those voters, even in the form of a drink of water, Larry Felton Johnson confirmed what the national news was reporting.

Never wanting to miss an opportunity to bash organized stupidity, I bragged to Larry about how we vote here in Washington and told him about an opinion piece I published two years ago titled, "How I voted - and why you should care" (see RELATED).

I'm happy to let you know that Larry took up my offer to republish my humble editorial, which will let his readers know that there's a better way to handle elections -- the way we do it here. If you're thinking of moving to Atlanta, or you just want to see the piece as published, click to read it in the Cobb County Courier.  

Danny Stusser is the publisher of The JOLT - The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater. The opinion above is his, and not necessarily those of The JOLT's staff or board of directors. 

If you have an opinion about a Thurston County topic, you're invited to send it to us for publication.

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