Eccentric Flower:199809/electioneering

fourteen september ninety eight six p m

Electioneering

So, tomorrow there's an election. A big one - the Eighth Congressional District seat is open, involving a very large chunk of the greater Boston area, and a lot of people want it. Twelve people, to be precise - ten Democrats, a Republican, and an independent. It's been a circus.

I do not recall harboring any prior dislike for the crowds of people who campaign on behalf of their candidate. Perhaps mild annoyance at best. However, this year is special, and this year's election has pushed me right over the edge.

I don't like people selling me things anyway. That goes for any commodity - groceries, insurance, politics, anything at all. I don't like sales pitches. So the campaigners are already off to a bad start with me.

But this year - they've been coming out en masse with their little signs, blocking intersections and stopping traffic. Our mailbox hasn't gone a day without some leaflet or promo card for one candidate or another. Yea, verily, it doth begin to weary me.

Tonight, though, my dromedary-like spine was nearly fractured by the final straw. I was called by someone stumping for one of the candidates, who asked me point-blank who I was voting for. Not "would you consider voting for my candidate?" but a flat-out request for information.

I held my tongue. I said mildly, "I'd rather not say." She hung up abruptly.

Where I grew up, you didn't ask people who you were voting for. It was supposed to be a big secret. If someone had happened to ask, I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see them run out of town on a rail. We're talking about an etiquette breach that even the most boorish soul would be wary of.

I try to vote regularly. But at the moment these campaigners are making me want to avoid the whole mess. Now, I'm sure many people probably appreciate the information they provide on the candidates, and I'm sure their presence induces people to vote who wouldn't otherwise. But I'm a very "I'll get that information for myself, thanks" kind of person (or hadn't you guessed?)

I personally would rather the candidates were required to do all their campaigning on their own. Yes, it would mean less campaigning - one person can only do so much, after all - but that's the point.

Ask me some time about how I feel about campaign finance reform, when you're feeling brave.

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