Yeah, I Voted.

Yeah, I voted Monday.

When I drove to New Life Church of Bryant to cast my ballot, I thought about all who gave so much for me to push buttons to select the men and women whom I feel would be most effective leading us for the next few years.

I thought about my grandpa when he ran for mayor of Gould twenty years ago.

I thought about the people who decided their voices didn't matter two years ago.

I thought about the current leaders who have hosed our communities thinking of me instead of we.

Honestly, I had a case of anti-incumbent fever going on just as America experienced in 2010. I cannot say for certain that the resistance, or blue wave as it has recently been termed, will be enough to offset the rise of the Tea Party eight years ago. Instead of outright racism in response to the nation’s first Black President – try telling some of these people Barack Obama is biracial and notice the plugged-in ears and incoherent babbles from their echo chambers and propaganda station Fox News telling them how to think about the changing world at large. Here are my voting choices, explained:

For the honor of representing AR-2 in Congress, I went for Clarke Tucker. In an era of throwing shade at all costs AND before that blatantly racist ad for the incumbent Rep. French Hill, it is refreshing to see my generation stepping up and otherwise maintaining an upbeat campaign throughout. I’m sure Rep. Hill is a pretty nice guy, but he should’ve been more than a lackey for 45 as a key vote to repeal the PPACA and more accessible to the most diverse and best-educated district in the state. I’m not saying he should have made more appearances in Southwest or south of Interstate 630, but giving a damn about the less affluent in more than a few crafted words would have been a start.

To become our next governor, my vote went to Jared Henderson. I see much of the same charismatic demeanor as Rep. Tucker and for standing up for the public sector – which hopefully gets the hardest-working among us deserved raises. Gov. Asa Hutchinson truly loves Arkansas and did an admirable thing in separating the Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert E. Lee birthdays as joint state holidays, the token measure falls flat when considered the disadvantaged who have lost their health insurance due to work requirements, shoddy (if available, at all) internet service, and not completely being able to keep the state Legislature from reverting to 1956 or worse, 1836.

My vote for Anthony Bland over Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin is simple:  I will always vote for the black man assuming his values align with my own. Besides, didn’t Griffin say he would abolish the office when he ran for it in 2014?

In the campaign for Attorney General, I voted for Mike Lee instead of Trump stooge Atty. General Leslie Rutledge. One thing she should have done is give more of a damn about her constituents instead of chasing every frivolous lawsuit she can attach herself to in the quest of wasting the most taxpayer dollars. The old emails about her anti-black comments and stereotypical jargon, although unsurprising given the state of today’s political climate alone did not sway my decision as much as her portrayal of a female George Wallace standing in the way of legalized gay marriage thereby presenting the state as a band of Luddites.

In the state campaign I paid the least attention to, I selected Susan Inman over the current Commissioner of State Lands John Thurston for Secretary of State. Certainly, I am overjoyed that current Secretary of State Mark Martin (not the NASCAR legend -  he’s presumably enjoying retirement fishing and running his auto dealerships in Batesville and the surrounding areas) is term-limited from dragging the Natural State back in time any further. Aside from the boat and fishing controversy surrounding Thurston, I felt a fresh voice would be necessary; that Garland County (Hot Springs and the small towns that comprise the GOP-stronghold) left her name off the ballot at three of the four early-voting precincts is appalling.

As for state Treasurer and Auditor, I held my nose and crossed over to vote for Dennis Milligan and Andrea Lea. Because I do live in Saline County, I am familiar enough with Milligan to make the reluctant call to send him back for four more years. In addition, in a period where no news can be equated as good news, Lea deserves more time to do the fiscal balancing around here; the Arkansas state constitution requires a balanced budget contrary to what several of our legislators statewide in both major parties tend to think.

For Commissioner of State Lands, I went full outsider and voted for Larry Williams.

To become Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, Courtney Goodson was as close to a no-brainer as one can get on the ballot especially with challenger David Sterling positioning himself as a conservative who stands with President Trump. It is one thing to respect the office of the President of the United States of America, and another to rubber-stamp everything the current occupant says including the blatant falsehoods without any sense of decorum.

Closer to home...yep, Salt County.

Having a disparate population means reaching out to everyone versus a select few from the country club, the local Baptist church, or the newest all-you-can-eat buffet. In this regard, I voted for Melissa Fults instead of Rep. Kim Hammer for state Senate; his comments about the Lady Razorbacks basketball team kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem struck enough of a nerve to make me wonder what brand of Gospel he preaches to his congregants each Sunday morning. Protesting is as American as apple pie – or from what I gathered in his words, only for a certain class. On a more spiritual level, let me remind everyone that Jesus was a radical nonviolent revolutionary who hung around lepers, hookers, and crooks; who wasn’t American and didn’t speak English; was anti-wealth; anti-death penalty; anti-public prayer (see Matthew 6:5 about those who used flowery language and really said nothing); but was never anti-gay; never mentioned abortion or birth control; never called the poor lazy; never justified torture; never fought for tax cuts nor demanded fealty to a piece of cloth. What I said about Hammer can easily apply to more of the boisterous voices in the state Legislature (you know the ones – there is that thirsty one from back home that tried to come for me eighteen months ago yet was unprepared for the truth to smack him around the head, among others).

Myka Bono Sample got my vote only because she ran unopposed. I reckon she’s done a good-enough job as County Clerk to earn another term from the people.

In town, I chose to give Mayor Jill Dabbs another four years as Bryant’s cheerleader. For the posturing with state and national politics that she reflexively does and the less-than-satisfactory response to the neighborhoods flooding and water problems, I do like the direction Bryant is growing. If Springhill Road is ever widened to at least a constant turning lane with sidewalks from Highway 5 to Northlake, she’ll have my vote for life. Allen Scott, while engaging in the Sunday meetups at the parks throughout town, seemed to me like he was less of a checks-and-balances toward Dabbs than someone with an axe to grind.

I had more anti-incumbent fever in choosing Bob Joiner for City Clerk over the current officeholder Sue Ashcraft.

Those pesky issues…

Fortunately, Issues One and Three were thrown off the ballot; therefore, human lives do have a monetary value for the time being although we should live as we are truly irreplaceable, and regarding Issue Three, politicians/future lobbyists shall be changed frequently like dirty diapers to prevent corruption or the perception that representing the people with benefits is why they want to run back to Little Rock. What I find interesting about Issue Three is that the same folks who rail against the majority-minority capital city clamor to be sent down to speak up for the forgotten and denigrate the Rock at every single turn in the name of likes on social media even as their own records show nothing of real substance.

I voted against Issue Two for the sole reason of requiring a photo ID for absentee voting, but I could very well regret this vote depending on how it worded in a manner that allows citizens to obtain identification cards at no cost. I’m all for inclusion; the other question arises from who counts the ballots as they show up at the precinct.

Voting against Issue Four is a tough call:  On one hand, we do need the jobs and the revenue; on the other, I do not gamble, and the two locations selected (two miles outside of Russellville and Pine Bluff, respectively) may lead to other problems not limited to law enforcement and those of a social nature.

I voted for Issue Five which raises the minimum wage to $9.25 on January 1, 2019, $10 the following year, and cresting at $11 on January 1, 2021. Minimum wage should not be a living wage but a gateway for those entering the workforce for the very first time or in a long time; anyone who is against that cannot afford to keep the doors open to his or her business. It’s also why Dub Shack BBQ is presently a one-man band:  me. After food costs and time, I still must be able to live and care for my family versus merely existing to provide customers with great barbecue every day only to subsist on Ramen noodles and crackers.

In declining to vote for Issue Six, I made this decision not based on the (perceived) lack of opportunities here in Saline County as much as the fact of increased property and sales taxes. While assessments are a necessary evil and a vital part of paying for things the public uses such as roads, sewer, water, and in some cases, electricity, at which point can a homeowner ask for some relief? What have our leaders been doing with the tax dollars accrued over time besides whoring themselves to medium-to-large businesses with giveaways that only a handful of people could potentially benefit from?

Lastly, I voted against Issue Seven for the reason of why would I reward my council member with two more years to sit around, do nothing, and be otherwise evasive? I understand that two-year terms can lead to constant campaigning but until I see better by the Bryant City Council, then each member needs to remain in service for two years until the city can justify four-year terms with one of two metrics:  a) population size; and b) annual revenue.

Every election is more important than the previous one, and each has perks for the winners and consequences for the losers. While our method of democracy is modeled worldwide, it still has flaws (see Voter ID laws across the country) and dark money entering campaigns to muddy the truth courtesy of Citizens United. We must find a way to suss out the fluff now that even the media no longer tells a straightforward story; too often, we are enthralled or disgusted by entertainers, talk show hosts, and others deciding their own truths and that inevitably colors how we operate on this rock. Each of us has a concern worth fighting for – and all of you who really know me, that concern is #BlackLivesMatter. Having my wife and daughter to protect and love in a society that tries its best to marginalize black females regarding pay, intellect, appearance, etc. is paramount to not only my own manhood but also to our daughter’s self-confidence in a world that gladly tears people down with impunity. I would also like to come home at the end of each shift without being harassed or worse a gunshot wound thanks to a small-town police officer with a trigger finger and serious animus toward my skin.

Whatever your reason, get up and go vote! Your life and freedoms may very well depend upon this simple act.

About Grandpa:  He lost that race in 1998 by twenty points but he at least he threw his hat in the ring to make Gould, Arkansas a better place to live.