Isn't it amazing that the human species can develop conversation on almost any subject? Get a group of people together, or even two or three, and conversation can drift from one subject to another, totally different.
Two subjects that are always good for friendly discussion, though sometimes heated arguments, are the weather and politics.
The weather is always good for a round or two comparing today's weather with those extreme hot summers or frigid snowy days of yesteryears, such as: "Do you remember the big snow we had in ... what year was that?" or "How much rain did we get last night?" or "Boy, it's getting dry. We really need a soaker."
Or, for instance, "Did you know that 46 years ago, in 1970, we had 14 inches of snow on March 16 and 17, with drifts three feet deep that closed highways, etc., etc., etc."?
So much for weather. Now for politics. Hasn't this year been a doozie? Whatever that is. Discussion of the candidates and their outbursts and promises and the resulting uncertainties can't help but be on the minds of citizens. Conversations can be varied and often drift back to memories of more civil campaigns we remember. Or sometimes, fess up, "Do you remember the first time you voted?"
That question crossed my mind the other day and I recalled the first time I marked a ballot. It is as clear as the first time I sneaked around and smoked a cigarette. (Confession is good for the soul, they say, whoever they are.)
I can remember the first time I cast a ballot. But that first time "I marked a ballot" is also indelibly imprinted in my memory. Notice I said "marked a ballot."
It was in 1940, I was five and I felt really big (not in height) when my dad brought home a ballot after he had voted in the election that year. He handed me a sheet of paper filled with printing and said, "Mr. Eldred sent this to you so you could vote."
Mr. Eldred, the grandfather of Bill Eldred, who lives in Gravette, was working at the polling place at Sulphur Springs. I've always wondered how many children he inspired to become part of that great American right and privilege, the right to vote guaranteed by our Constitution which is the foundation of our great republic.
So the lesson on how to mark a ballot began. I had heard the name Roosevelt (Franklin D.) who was the President but I had no idea who his opponent was. I don't have any idea which one I marked with an "X" and that is not important. What is, is that the simple lesson has stuck with me for these many years, including the first legal vote I cast in 1956. I turned 21, the old eligible age to begin voting. It was lowered to 18 years several years ago, inspired by the fact that, if a person is able to serve in the armed forces, he or she should be entitled to vote.
Another requirement to vote in 1956 was to purchase a poll tax. "What's a poll tax?" you ask. You paid a dollar (or was it two?) every year, which placed you on the voting roll. That requirement began in 1836 when Arkansas became a state. Click on "Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture" for a history of the tax down through the years, during the Civil War, afterwards and into modern-day America.
The requirement for such a tax was outlawed by the 24th Amendment to our Constitution, in 1964. The Arkansas Legislature that same year replaced the tax with the new registration system which is in use today.
An attempt to require a person to have photo identification as a requirement to vote was recently approved, but the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned that requirement. This is sometimes the topic of conversation with the caveat: "You have to have a license to drive a car. What's the difference?"
The answer may be somewhere in the future. In the meantime, being a part of the election process is a fundamental right and privilege that all American citizens should cherish and preserve. Where would we be, or will we be, if that freedom is altered or abandoned? That is a good topic for serious conversational discussion. Have you registered?
Dodie Evans is the former owner and long-time editor of the Gravette News Herald. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 03/23/2016