Another November - Another election

Yesterday, voters in Ohio, as well as Kentucky and Virginia were in the national spotlight. I personally witnessed the "pro-life", basically the religious right (Republican Party) carry out an old-fashioned "ground assault" in Ohio with a myriad of "Vote No!" yard signs appearing in nearly every neighbourhood in which I traveled. I knew this election was going to be an especially heated one; one fought over what rights women would have with regards to their inherent rights to their bodies and an abortion. I address quite thoroughly in my book, "Oh! Susannah", how women of the 19th century worked through this issue. Check out the chapter, "The Birth Control Battlefield".

Catching up with my long-time friend in Columbus back in September, we talked a bit of politics, as we usually do and have, since our first acquaintance as students at Akron University. We were both political science majors. John pursued his political career, even became a County Party Chairman, while I left the country for the pursuits of all that New Zealand offered. John was explaining how this being an "off year" or odd-numbered year, all of the local candidates and issues are on the ballot. He was expressing his concern for those voters, who feeling overwhelmed with so many ballot issues to decide upon, would simply tire and either quit voting or just vote "no" on the balance of the measures up for decision/renewal.

Back in the 19th century, it was far easier on election day. A voter ussually decided upon which party he was supporting, and the decision making was over. And, yes, I purposely used the pronoun "he" because women like my 3rd great grandmother, Susannah Reigle Beckley, would not have even considered voting. Women were second class citizens. However, by the end of the 19th century, suffragettes were making great strides in changing the attitudes of the American populace in regards to women being given the right to vote. And for those who may not know, New Zealand was one of the very first countries to grant their women the right to cast a ballot in 1893. The United States finally got on board with the rest of the world, 27 years later, when the 19th amendment to the constitution was passed in 1920.

As I mention in my historical fiction, "Oh! Susannah", politics back in the 19th century was a very heated and spiritedly debated topic of conversation. Local newspapers were supported or otherwise "propped up" by party money and the individual editors spared no type in sparring with their counterpart editors, which in turn, spurred their partisan readers on. My research reveals that in rural Ohio back in the 19th century, your party affiliation determined which newspaper you subscribed to. And as a matter of interest, I'm currently scouring through over 30 thousand images of these old newspapers as part of my research for my next book.

I remember back in the 70's and 80's how important a newspaper endorsement would be to a political candidate. I personally witnessed long lines of people during this time waiting to vote and many of them clutching a newspaper's list of endorsed candidates. Come to think of it, when was the last time you physically held a newspaper - of any kind - in your hands to read? Everything is online these days, right? And the simple days of clipping a list of endorsed candidates from a trusted source, may never return.

However, the act of voting, even if it means wading through pages and pages of local issues, is as relevant and important today as ever before. Has the thought, "What would life look like, if we did not live in a democratic republic?" ever cross your mind? Personally, I believe that there are elected officials at present who seem hell bent on destroying our democratic framework and even more scary, are the number of people who support them! Are these folks fully informed? duped? or otherwise desiring destruction for the sake of change? I'm ever hopeful that common sense will prevail, all our voices heard, and debated; weighed up for what's best for the general good of all of us.

Not that much thought went into a voter's decision in the 1800's. Today we seriously have more responsibility on our collective shoulders, but as will be addressed in my sequel novel, partisan politics were no less heated.

May I encourage you to continue to engage in the public discourse and actively support those representatives of ours who most closely reflect our vision and values and similarly, may you continue to support your local authors. I have been a most humble benefactor of this support, and if you would like to either purchase my books or keep up with my latest endeavors, visit www.beckleysbooks.com