One Man, One Vote

There appears to be a level of consternation among the union faithful concerning the matter of a “bullet” vote for Jim Baker Tuesday. This notion of an individual casting a vote for one candidate has raised the hues and cries from the pro-union faction that such an idea is akin to “spitting on the graves” of soldiers at Bunker Hill or Gettysburg or Normandy. Remind you the concept of one man, one vote is exactly how ninety-nine percent of our elections in this country are operated.

In an election where multiple candidates are vying for a single seat, I have the choice of either voting for one candidate on the ballot or writing in a name I prefer or abstaining from voting altogether in that particular election. The fact is I have a right to choose the manner in which I participate, even if it is by not voting. Though I have always participated in elections since I was first eligible to vote, I have not always voted in each and every contested race. Reasons for abstaining usually falls within two categories: First, through my own ignorance I am totally unfamiliar with the candidates. Voting for a candidate would require no more thought than throwing blades of grass in the air on a windy day. A meaningful vote requires a conscience thought. Secondly, I may abstain from a vote when I see no difference in the candidates. Two candidates running on the same platform of raising taxes in reality does not give me a choice. Elections are about choices and when there is none, a vote becomes a futile exercise. In either case I do have the right to exercise my freedom of political choice which may include “none of the above”.

In the Hudson School Board race there are three seats being contested: One which is currently held by Annette Cook, another which is held by Nancy Donovan, and another which is held by Priscilla Wyeth. During school board meetings each of these individuals occupies a seat with their own distinctive name-plate placed in front of them. These seats are unique as to the individual who occupies them. There is no “group seat” with a generic name-plate at school board meetings. But this is exactly how we treat the elections of school board members when we allow citizens to vote for multiple candidates. In doing so, we are not specifying a distinctive individual seat at that board meeting table and are implying that each seat is completely interchangeable with the other.

The inherent danger of an electoral process where an individual can cast multiple votes for a generic seat is that it allows the voting pattern of an organized bloc of individuals [such as a union] to control each and every seat. There is a very real possibility that in some instances of bloc voting the majority viewpoint could be locked-out of any representation. It is hard to distinguish any democratic principles in this manner of voting.

For those concerned about rising taxes, wasteful spending, and accountability by education bureaucrats, there is only one candidate for the Hudson School Board who represents your concerns. It is Jim Baker. Casting a vote for the other candidates, just because it is allowed, is giving a vote to someone who represents the opinions of individuals and groups diametrically opposite from your own. To vote or not vote is an exercise in free choice; the same belief those soldiers at Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Normandy and countless other places around the world sacrificed their lives for.

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