Every vote counts on election day

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Glen Savory
  • 60th Contracting Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  I love trivia! I don't know how or why, but for some reason, my brain retains useless information like the name of the Red Sox starting second baseman during the 1986 World Series [Marty Barrett], but it dumps more important things, like the suspense date for reviewing the Travis Recall Plan [sorry, Col Shea--I'll get that to your staff Monday]. 

By now, you are asking yourself, "What does that have to do with voting? The title of the article is about voting." I'm glad you asked. I cannot count how many times I have heard someone say, "Why should I bother to vote? My one vote never matters." That's when I like to reach into the trivia jar to illustrate why your one vote does count. 

There have been several notable elections in U.S. history where a handful of votes decided an election thereby forever changing the course of history. 

Example #1: Most of us remember the Election of 2000. Over 105 million people cast votes in this contest and after weeks of recounts and court challenges, George W. Bush was elected president over Senator Al Gore. What many don't realize is the difference in the election--why President Bush had enough electoral votes to win--was a margin of a mere 537 votes in the state of Florida, making it the closest presidential election in history. 

Example #2: According to the U.S. Senate webpage, the state of New Hampshire [which, ironically, has the motto "Live Free or Die" on its license plates--which are made by inmates in the N.H. State Prison System] holds the distinction for the closest election in Senate history. 

On election day, it appeared that Louis Wyman defeated John Durkin by just 355 votes. Durkin immediately demanded a recount--which resulted in Durkin being declared the victor--by only 10 votes. Of course, Wyman demanded a second recount resulting in a second flip; Wyman was named the winner by just two votes! 

After a Senate Investigation into disputed ballots failed to resolve the dispute, Durkin and Wyman agreed to a new statewide election. Durkin won the new election and the closest race in Senate history ended nearly 10 months after Election Day. 

This November, all 435 U.S. Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for election. Many of us are far away from our legal residences, but voting by absentee ballot has never been easier. 

Every unit at Travis has one Unit Voting Assistance Officer for every 50 people assigned. These UVAOs are trained to help you and your family members register to receive your absentee ballots from your state of legal residence. 

Most states today even accept these applications by fax, making the process quick and easy. During the next two weeks, UVAOs are charged with contacting 100 percent of military personnel and ensuring each person has the opportunity to register. Contact your unit orderly room or give me a call if you don't know your squadron's UVAO--we'll be happy to help. 

I hope I've shown you how important your vote can be. Now, get out there and register to vote--it's not a trivial thing.