From our local newspaper

Shortage of voters, but not gripes. JAY CRONLEY World Staff Columnist. This is ground zero for complaints. People around here complain long and often about anything. Shock waves resonate for days. The streets stink, the schools don't work, the school administrators should all be fired, the mayor doesn't know what he's doing but is far ahead of the council. All utilities should be investigated, city tree-trimmers halted, the newspaper should have its head examined, the football team should have run more, crime is unchecked, cable television should be ashamed, and street construction takes so long that repairs are needed on the first part to be fixed just as the last part is completed. It was into this backdrop that city elections were just held. Grab am umbrella: Hardly anybody was there at the voting place. So few cars were in the parking lot that I backed up to look for the sign denoting an election today, wondering whether I had turned too soon. It was misting. Evidently nothing disrupts the electoral system here like a good mist. Whereas we will drive over black ice just to say we got to work, and as we will plow through hail the size of radishes to shop for groceries, and while we will play golf in a gale, watch football in the snow, walk the dog around lightning, and drive like lunatics in a monsoon, precious few of us can vote in the mist. A cloud cover could jeopardize voter turnout here. Actual dampness - forget about a crowd. The few, the proud: It was around four in the afternoon, election day. I parked. Got out. Looked around. It was a little like what a person voting in a primitive land might expect. I was the only one moving. Might a thumb be dipped in ink to signify a successful vote? It was only slightly more active inside. Three people worked the desks, checking registrations, picture identifications, handing out ballots and markers. Service was tremendous. I was the only voter in the joint. You could hear my black marker move on the ballot to connect the boxes of my choices. You could hear me walk across the room. You could really hear the machine take my ballot. You could hear everything. In other words, in any words, it was a great election. Only 15 percent of those eligible voted. Don't vote, can't complain..