Does every vote count?

Jerry Farmer will probably tell you that it does – – that every vote counts.   He lost a port commission race to E.J. Zita by around 200 votes.  A couple of decades ago, Virgil Clarkson lost a Lacey City Council race to Graeme Sackrison by 27 votes.   And in the early 1970’s – the North Thurston School District lost a special levy election by – one vote.

So, it appears, that every vote does count.   But do they count equally?

On election night Farmer was leading in his race by a few hundred votes.   But- when the second round of votes were counted he was down and never came back up.    He learned an important lesson in Thurston County politics.

The votes that were counted in the second round of counting – were primarily those who voted on Election Day.   These are people who voted out of obligation – and many of them were what I called – ignorant voters.  Those are ones who vote for a particular party – without looking at all of the other issues.

The port commission is a non-partisan position – but politics still plays a major part.   Zita was a woman.   Farmer was not.

It’s a known fact that a liberal, Democratic woman has a five percent edge in any race in Thurston County.   That’s a large number to overcome – – and those that voted on election day – cast their votes for a liberal, Democratic woman in larger numbers than those who supported the white male.

Zita will be a good port commissioner.  Here ideas concerning the marine terminal have merit.   Wanting to make the port pay its own way is something I’ve supported for years.

Farmer learned a lesson about  gender politics and those who vote at the last minute.