By June Mathews
It’s baaaaack! Election season. And if you’ve never experienced a municipal election in small town America, well, you’ve never lived.
Yard signs, meet-the-candidate gatherings, yard signs, campaign ads full of smiles and promises, yard signs, brochures and postcards brimming with paper propaganda… And oh, yeah, did I mention yard signs?
But this time there’s a new twist: The candidates are utilizing social media. These days I can hardly log onto my Facebook page without tripping over invitations to community forums, recommendations to “Like” candidates’ pages, and statuses basically saying, “No matter who you vote for, exercise your right to vote… But anybody with half a brain would vote for my candidate.”
As if those yard sign gardens all over town weren’t enough, the campaigns have moved into my little corner of cyberspace, invading my personal computer like a virus. It’s a wonder the darn thing hasn’t crashed.
(Sigh!)
While I’m tempted to simply turn off the computer, dig a storm shelter in the backyard and huddle there until election time is over (praying for no runoff in the meantime), I can’t help but feel compelled to remain connected. If this election season is anything like election seasons past, there’s bound to be some drama brewing, and I don’t want to miss it.
As to the run-of-the-mill campaign stuff, I’m acquainted with most of the candidates – heck, I even like most of the candidates, whether I want to see them in office or not
. And because I’m involved in my community and see who’s been getting things done and who hasn’t, I knew as soon as the slate was announced who I’d be voting for at the end of the month. So campaign efforts are largely wasted on me.
While I’m flattered with the attention certain candidates are giving me via Facebook, I don’t plan to “Like” any of their pages. I have no desire to give my online friends the impression I’m voting one way or another.
So if any of the candidates happen to notice I’m ignoring their invitations and/or suggestions to jump on their virtual bandwagons (which they probably won’t), they needn’t consider my lack of reciprocal attention any indication of how I’ll cast my vote. I’m not singling anybody out. I’m an equal opportunity Facebook ignorer.
Mainly what I’ll be doing during the campaigns is waiting for them to be over, as I have in recent election seasons. I learned long ago that public involvement in local politics only serves to raise my blood pressure, turn my hair a little grayer and serve as a difficult reminder that no good performance of civic duty goes unpunished.
You can bet I’ll be voting, though, if for no other reason than to reserve my right to complain about the upcoming administration. And, of course, I’ll be privately expressing my views on the election to friends and family. I’ve always had strong opinions about local politics and that’s unlikely to ever change.
But as far as my Facebook page is concerned, I’ll be doing my best to keep it politics-free, at least for the time being. The day may come when I’m willing to sacrifice this personal social media policy for the sake of a mayoral or city council candidate, but I don’t see it happening on this go-round.
In the meantime, dear reader, I hope you also plan to exercise your right to vote, no matter who you vote for. Of course, if you’ve got half a brain, you’ll support my candidates. I’m just not going to tell you on Facebook (or in this column, for that matter) who they are.
Email June Mathews at june.mathews@trussvilletribune