55 Votes

Preliminary election results, posted on the county website, show that I got 55 votes in yesterday's primary, out of a total of 878 votes cast for Leland Township Trustee. It sounds terrible, but I didn't really want any votes, since I was unopposed on the Democratic side of the ballot and thus could have gone on the the November General Election with zero votes. anyone votng on the Democratic side lost their opportunity to influence the important races on the Republican side.

I looked over the results, checking out the three millage requests (all passed) and the Leland Township Supervisor race (Larkin beat Lederle 430 to 230). But as I did my chores today, I kept wondering why did 55 people decide to cast a meaningless vote for me?

Maybe they didn't understand the system. Heck, I've worked with the public long enough that I know some people didn't understand the system. Maybe they don't like the system, and were voting Democratic to protest the county's "you have to be a Republican to win" tradition. I hope those people show up in November. Maybe I rode Dan Scripps' coattails, although I myself was getting tired of filling in bubbles and I passed on filling in bubbles for some unopposed people that would have gotten a courtesy vote on a more leisurely day in November.

Maybe it was a protest vote against the local Republican party of late, who actually staged a float in the 4th of July parade with a "Drill Here! Drill Now! Pay Less!" banner. We know that there is oil under the Great Lakes, but not too many of us are anxious to see drilling rigs out on Big Blue. Dave Camp, my congressman, seems to have gone over the edge, sending me screaming name calling emails about the "Pelosi premium" on gas prices and the dangers of "Hillarycare" health insurance. While most of the people I know are taking practical steps to save energy, the Republicans seem to envision us as hungry baby birds who must be fed more and more oil regardless of the consequences. If anyone gets in their way, they will find a woman to blame and call her names. I see that Victor Goldschmidt, who was serving the Leelanau Republican party by giving workshops on climate change denial, lost his bid for Leelanau Township Trustee.

All in all, I'm glad I chose to buck the "system" and run as a Democrat, even if the only result is a race in November when people are paying attention and have time to think.