The Value of One Vote

Today I helped one person cast one vote. When I talked to him on the phone yesterday to make arrangements, I thought he might be elderly. Unless being 8 years younger than me makes him elderly, he wasn’t. It turned out he was disabled in ways that made him sound old. He had a beautiful smooth face, twinkling eyes and a big toothy smile but he had extreme trouble stepping off a curb or getting in and out of my car. Once he got going, he could shuffle along at a good pace with his cane but getting up out of a seat had me counting down to three with him to coordinate our efforts in the slow motion lift off, at times freezing in midair on the way up.

He explained to me during our car trip from his apartment on the West side that his arm had been mauled by rottweilers and his neck snapped after being hit by a 102 year old Florida driver. It caused him to retire from his 37 year career as a male nurse, the only one in his graduating class at OSU. He had been a scrawny, effeminate, black kid who was never treated respectfully by family or friends but who never let it bother him. He just laughed it off, held his head high and led a happy, successful life. He recounted the pain he felt about losing a brother who never listened to him about his partying life style and died a horrible slow death from diabetes. His brother would call him hurtful, disrespectful names but he would give anything just to hear his brother’s voice just one more time.

This physically broken man had a resilient spirit that kept him smiling and wisecracking. He flirted with all the ladies at the voting center and when he noticed the Romney wagon in the parking lot, I held him back as he played like he was going to go over there and kick some ass. Instead he was satisfied yelling “Racist” and “KKK” through the car window. He was fiercely independent, refusing the wheelchair inside the voting center when it was offered to him but he allowed me to help him through the process. Because his address had changed since last voting, he had to apply for and use a paper ballot. I knew to let him fill out all the paperwork and ballot with some helpful direction. After taking an excruciatingly long time filling in the small dot beside Obama’s name, he asked me what all the other names were about. I explained but resisted suggesting he consider giving Obama some help by at least voting for Senator Brown. Voting for president was enough for him which was something of a relief to me when I thought about how long it would have taken him to fill out the entire ballot.

After spending two hours and driving forty miles with him, I completed the task of helping one man cast one vote for one candidate. I felt enriched by having made the acquaintance of a man who was so positive and joyful despite all the trouble in his life. It was an honor to assist him in doing something that he felt compelled to do. While one vote may not make any more difference to the night than one star in the sky, the value of it is measured in the light it shines just for you.