Satisfied last week's election results?

This graph shows the results of an online poll conducted by our local newspaper:


I don't know which is more interesting...that 81% are unhappy with the results of a democratic election, or that the percentages don't add up to 100.

Election Results

I'm sure you've probably heard by now, but here are the results from yesterday's local elections:

1. Scott Hopson was elected mayor, defeating the incumbent candidate Tom Pyle.

2. Bill Whitten was elected to a second term as a city council member. The other seat was won by Tim Reazin.

3. Michael Kelso, Eric Votaw, and Keith Nowland won the three open seats on the USD 491 board of education.

I voted...and managed to screw it up

The instructions are pretty simple. Get a ballot, fill in the little circles next to the candidate(s) that you're voting for, then turn in your completed ballot.

I did that. I voted for one mayor. I voted for three school board members. I voted for three city council members. I filled in my circles and was very careful to color inside the lines. I checked and double checked that I had voted for the "right" people. I took my ballot up to the little machine. I made sure I properly inserted my ballot into the little machine. And that's when the machine--that little miracle of technology, that thing which reads my ballot and instantly makes sure my vote is counted, that modern day descendant of the old-school cardboard ballot box--told me that my ballot was "invalid". Invalid? That couldn't be...I had been so careful.

The now-not-so-smart machine asked me if I wanted my ballot back. Of course I did. That's MY ballot. That's MY chance to have a say in the local government. Give it back to me you stupid little machine. So I push the button and my ballot comes sliding back out to me. I double check circles, I recount my votes, I re-read the instructions...oh. Oops. Apparently, you're only allowed to vote for two city council candidates, not three. (If you refer to my post from yesterday, you'll see just how mixed up I was...)

Now, there's a part of me that thinks democracy would be a lot more fun if you could vote for as many (or as few) people as you want. If too many candidates get more than 50% of the vote, then they have to thumb-wrestle for it or something. Or maybe a "Billy Madison" style talent show. If too few get more than 50%, then you draw a random citizen's name out of a hat to fill any empty spots. But that's not how it works,so I had to take my ballot up to the nice little ladies working the front table, and politely explain to them why I'm too much of an idiot to follow simple directions. All this time, I'm having visions of hanging chads and disputed ballots...

In the end, I got it right. My original ballot was voided, I got a fresh new one, I filled in the correct number of circles (coloring inside the lines, of course), the lovely ladies working the table were more than patient and accommodating, and I cast my ballot for one mayor, two city council members, and three school board members.

This time, the little electronic "I'm-smarter-then-you-sucker" ballot box accepted my ballot and counted it. And with that, I took part in one of our greatest civic processes...and the great American democracy proved itself to be greater than my ineptitude.

Tomorrow is Election Day!

*Updated below
Voters in Eudora will be asked tomorrow to cast their vote for mayor, city council, and school board members. While the turnout for local elections is typically very low, I would encourage anyone who is eligible and registered to take the time to exercise this civic duty.

Tom Pyle, who is currently serving as mayor, will be running for re-election to that office against Jean Farmer and Scott Hopson. The mayor serves a four year term.

Three Two seats on the city council are up for grabs among five candidates. Bill Whitten is the only incumbent running for re-election in this race, and he will be challenged by Brian Nyp, Tim Reazin, Tonya Summers, and Mike Warner. The three two winning candidates will join the three board members elected two years ago to form the six-member five-member city council. Terms for this board are four years.

As in the city council race, there There are three open seats up for grabs on the local school board. The five candidates for these three seats are Daniel Dickerson, Michael Kelso, Keith Nowland, Eric Votaw, and Mike Warner. None of the three incumbents are seeking re-election. As with the city council, the The three winners of this election will join the three four board members elected in 2007 to form a six seven member board. School board terms are also four years in length.

Last week, the Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosted candidate forums for each of the three races. The Eudora News wrote stories summarizing the school board, city council, and mayoral races.

*Update: The six seats on the city council are composed of 5 members and the mayor. This year, two members and the mayor are up for election to four year terms. I was confused...but I think I've got it figured out now.