Ordinary, but special

Something special happened Tuesday.
And it was all the more special because it was ordinary.
If you had been at the Jay County Courthouse Tuesday night, you would have witnessed Republicans and Democrats working together to tally up an election.
Poll workers of both parties had spent the day together all over the county and were still in good spirits.
And in a room on the first floor of the courthouse, Republican county clerk Ellen Coats, clerk’s office employee Carmen Craig, and Democratic county chairman Tim Southworth worked hand in hand to assure that the count was accurate, honest, and fair.
But what was perhaps most remarkable is how transparent the whole process was.
The room where the votes were tallied wasn’t off limits to the public or press. As long as you stayed out of the way and didn’t disrupt the process, it was possible to watch the whole thing.
That was even true when there was a small hitch in the process early on.
There might have been a temptation to boot the press out when things didn’t go perfectly.
Instead, those involved kept their cool, focused, cooperated, and solved the problem. And as the public’s unofficial witness, the press was on hand to watch them in action.
In its own, very American way, that was something pretty special. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]