Friday, June 15, 2018

POLITICS: Serving as a proxy

I was on my way to a gym class on Tuesday when I got a rushed phone call from a friend, a local political organizer. She needed a registered voter from my township to attend a county political meeting in West Chester that very evening. Was there any possible chance I could go?
Sure, I said.
So after my gym class I cobbled together a clean outfit from the Y's lost-and-found box and the emergency clothes that live in my car. Still not sure what meeting I was going to or what I was supposed to do, I drove to Fugett Middle School.
My host welcomed me at the door with relief and explained that this was the party's county convention, and my duties were simply to vote as a proxy on two proposed changes to the bylaws. You'll be out of here in half-an-hour, she assured me.
Famous last words. The proposed changes, dealing with the terms and gender requirements of local committee persons, sparked heated debate. I haven't heard so much talk about parliamentary procedure and "suspending the rules" since my time with the students' union in college. Opponents demanded that a secret ballot rather than a voice vote be taken and then, after the fact, disputed the committee's judgment about who had won an earlier voice vote.
While we were waiting for the blue paper ballots to be collected and counted, a man running for office took the stage and gave what I imagine is his standard speech. 
The seasoned political operatives next to me kept apologizing for the furor, saying with disbelief, "This never happens."
Honestly, I didn't mind. It was actually entertaining, and far from a typical Tuesday evening.

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