Election Reflection

Election Day used to be one of my favorite days of the year. Yes, I was a political nerd to the highest degree. That’s when I did politics for a living and lived and breathed it. I’ve been known to say that politics is my first language.

But then life changed. Or rather I changed. Or maybe I was changed. I came to dread Election Day. That was probably because most of the people I voted for never had a chance to win. That’s what happens when you write in names.

And now? I don’t know. Election Day is a day. I still pay attention to the results, because I’m curious. Election evening finds me in front of my computer with multiple websites pulled up. I flip between then all checking for the latest numbers and updates, what the spin happens to be, and more. I look at election data — how precincts vote, what the turn out was, how different candidates fare compared to how other candidates are doing in their races to see if there are trends present and what that might mean to the bigger picture. Ok, so I’m still a political nerd at heart.

I watched the election results in other states too. I was curious to see how the governor’s race in Kentucky, the state House of Delegates in Virginia, and the abortion constitutional amendment in Ohio would turn out. Some of the other races that the news highlighted felt like pulling at straws to be newsworthy.

So much of these races end up having confusing long term results. Kentucky is primarily Republican states with many Republican elected officials, including Sen…