Whenever I vote, I always think of Jean Steunenberg, a woman who treasured voting and the democratic process more than anyone I’ve ever known. Jean and her husband Bob, a distinguished World War II veteran and one of Argonne National Laboratory’s finest scientists, were talented musicians and pillars of our community, serving in many capacities.
Years ago, I had the honor of driving Jean to the polls to vote for what turned out to be her last time. Bob had passed away, Jean could no longer drive, and in fact had a great deal of difficulty walking. Even though we lived on the same street, we were in different townships, so before I voted, Jean called to ask if I would take her to her polling place.
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Getting there was agonizingly slow. She seemed fragile, and I was afraid she might fall. Before she voted she was very quiet and subdued, but the transformation in her afterward was something I’ve never forgotten.
Because she had been a precinct committeeman and captain, she knew the election judges and practically everybody in the room. After voting, she flitted from one to another, laughing, shaking hands, and hardly using her walker. She was animated and even joyous.
On the way home, she wondered why on earth some people would not vote when they had the chance. Everything bad that happens to our city, she thought, was the result of people choosing to stay home on election day. She asked if our three children, each of whom she had registered, voted regularly. I assured her they did, and she nodded with satisfaction.
I’ve heard people say recently that it really doesn’t matter who gets in, and that they’re simply not interested in the people who run in local elections. Well, to paraphrase Pericles, just because you take no interest in them and their beliefs doesn’t mean that some day they won’t take an interest, perhaps an unwelcome interest, in you and your property.
People foolishly think that when some confrontation with government is about to affect them and their families, like a property condemnation or a needed permit, that it’s what they say and do at that time that will determine the outcome. But how often have you seen a plea or a legal threat from a citizen change the council’s, much less the city staff’s, mind on an issue?
No, the outcome of those future decisions will actually be determined by what we do now in the voting booth to select councilmen whose character we respect and whose values match our own. That’s why it’s so important to discuss matters of principle during an election, even though there may be very little that can be done about them at the time.
We need to elect people of quality because, once those chairs are filled, the die has been cast. We have to make sure we vote intelligently now because it’s our only chance. We will not be able to vote on what those men and women may decide to do during their terms in office.
Besides, isn’t voting a civic obligation? Isn’t it the one thing our community and our nation asks of us? Isn’t that what government by the people really means? We have the right to vote, but we must remember that, as John D. Rockefeller said, “Every right implies a responsibility; Every opportunity, an obligation, Every possession, a duty.”
And shouldn’t we also make certain that our friends vote, even if they’re reluctant? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to make sure that everybody has a ride to the polls? Shouldn’t we prod, cajole, and even shame people a little until they get out of their easy chairs and cast their ballots? Jean would. I’m sure of that.