Voters, old and new, take to the ballot box looking for voice in midterm elections
As the crisp fall air filled their lungs and leaves crunched underneath the hard rubber soles of their shoes, voters stood eagerly and patiently waiting to cast their ballots. On November 8, the people of America went to their local polling stations to fulfill their civic duty. As the clock struck 8:00 am, doors to polling stations across the city creaked open. Voters shuffled in throughout the remainder of the day, voting their input on issues closest to their hearts.
Paul Stellpflug, a teacher of U.S Government and Politics, feels this election was very important.
“It is a bit of a referendum on election deniers and whether or not Trump should have such a strong hold on the Republican party,” he said.
Many of the voters out on November 8 were students that had freshly turned 18 taking the opportunity to vote. It may have seemed like a daunting and nerve-wracking feat to some, but senior Chester Brill found the process quite simple.
“It was welcoming,” he said. “There were people to greet me and to give me pencils, ballots, and everything, so it was nice. I didn’t feel overwhelmed when I got there, and they made it straightforward. You only had to fill in about six bubbles, and you're done.”
Senior Jade Laibly also had little issues throughout the whole experience.
“It was really nice to have access to voter registration at my school; this allowed me to go straight to the polls and vote on the day of,” she said. “My overall experience was really easy; the hardest part was waiting in line.”
While people waited anywhere from five minutes to over an hour, those running the polls had to wait all day. Their shifts started well before opening and ended well after closing.
Judy Zarter, chief of the polling station at St. John’s on Main Street, had much to accomplish while setting up the stations.
“Two weeks before election day, we had a meeting for poll workers where the city clerk explained all the rules and regulations,” she said. “We didn't know what we were getting into with this election because this country seemed to be a little shaky.”
Zarter also had to put in a lot of effort on voting day.
“I had to be there first, and all the others had to be there by six o’clock. First, there is the standard setting up of the tables and putting signs up to direct people where to vote,” she said. “Then we set up the election machine; if there is anything wrong we can call City Hall to have it fixed by seven o’clock.”
Once the doors opened at eight o’clock, Zarter was in charge of making sure everything ran smoothly. As more and more people filed in, the stations quickly became packed.
“We were very busy this time,” she said. “We had lines going the whole day, and then we had over 500 absentee ballots that we had to process.”
For the Democratic candidate of the 54th Assembly District of Wisconsin and Mayor of Oshkosh, Lori Palmeri, the results led to a sigh of relief after a long time of waiting.
“I’m very relieved that it's over and that we saved the governor's veto, which was the top mission,” she said. “Now I’m ready to get to work after a long seven months of campaigning.”
Palmeri had been running against Republican candidate Donnie Herman. The candidates found themselves not only disagreeing with each other's political views but also their separate tactics in reaching the people of Wisconsin.
“It is unfortunate that Herman chose to campaign the way in which he did,” she said. “His tactics and his campaign tactics were unscrupulous and over the top, and it backfired.”
Election day for Palmeri started as any normal day.
“The first few hours of the day I was doing my medical courier job, and I was on call for deliveries up until 10:00 AM,” she said. “Then, straight away knocking on doors to try and get those last few votes and going to the campus to talk to students until the polls closed.”
As the day went on, Palmeri’s anticipation for the voter results increased.
“I was not nervous until about two hours before the polls closed, and then I started to get a little anxious and excited,” she said. “The results came in around 11:00 for my race. I couldn't sleep because I was watching the other races until three in the morning.”
Palmeri started her campaign in the middle of March, platforming for an acronym F.A.C.E.S. which stands for; Fair Wages & Taxes, Affordable Housing, Clean Environment, Expanded Healthcare, and Strong Public Schools. Now that she has won, Palmeri can lay out her primary plan of action for when she reaches Madison in January.
“It will be uppermost in my mind as we go into the budget for the state,” she said. “Another thing that will be a very high priority for many people, and me, is repealing the 1849 law on abortion.”
While Palmeri had won the seat for State District 54 in an extremely tight race, the other results of this election included the wins of Republican Ron Johnson for senate over candidate Mandela Barnes, Republican Glenn Grothman for House Representative District 6 uncontested, and Democrat Tony Evers for Wisconsin Governor over Republican Tim Michels. These results satisfied Stellpflug, who still holds out hope for bipartisan work in Madison.
“At the state level, we're still purple with a democratic governor and a republican state assembly majority,” he said. “This is good; a divided government is supposed to produce more moderate legislation.”
On the other hand, Brill wasn’t as satisfied.
“This election is about representing,” he said. “Some of the candidates are removed from society. They're old and rich, so they haven't been members of Wisconsin. I would’ve rather had Mandela Barnes in office. But what can I do? I voted, and that's all that matters.”
Stellpflug has a few words of advice for newly elected officials.
“A divided government is a message to politicians to stop far right and far left rhetoric,” he said. “They should find some middle ground, pass some legislation, and fix something for once.”
By Fahad Mian
Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue III
November 28 2022