In the words of A Prairie Home Companion, "Here is the news from Lake Wobegon, my hometown..." If you want the cliffnotes, the Ohio primary election has been postponed definitively.
Here is how this unprecedented presidential move transpired. After the action taken by Gov. DeWine yesterday to gather citizens' support to effectively sue the government to postpone the election to June 2nd, the judge refused to postpone the election and cited that there was not enough notice to do this. But it did not end there.
Dr. Acton, from the Department of Health, was able to use her influence to "cancel" the primary because of the statewide health emergency we are currently experiencing, and the implications that would be sure to follow from so much community contact. Gov.DeWine pulled together documents and the closure of polling places was announced officially just before midnight. Although three other states chose to proceed with their primary elections today, Ohio will not be participating. President Trump praised Gov. DeWine for doing what needed to be done to protect the American public in an address today (3/17).
As has been stated previously, there would have been no feasible way to allow all voters to cast a ballot and comply with the social isolation guidelines. As absentee ballots must be procured at least 30 days prior to the election, there would not have been any way to legally get these ballots out since we did not know how this pandemic was going to affect us 30 days ago. After a lot of back and forth, it has been confirmed that the primary will, in fact, be rescheduled, with time to get absentee ballots for all if social isolation limitations are not lifted 30 days from now. Therefore all citizens' rights will be preserved, as will the best health practices for the state.
There is exponential spread of this virus world-wide. By limiting our exposure to people who are sick, or are carriers of the virus and are unaware they can give it to others (including the high risk individuals at polling places) we have already started to curb the spread in our state. Currently, the number of reported cases looks about like this, with most people having not been tested yet.
According to the statement made by Gov. Mike DeWine, this virus is an “invasion.” President Trump has repeatedly claimed we are "under attack," and “will defeat [the virus.]” Given these viewpoints, I was reminded of Albert Einstein’s famous remark:
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
The last pandemic was the strain of H1N1 influenza that circulated in 1918-1919. This was before we had regular aircraft, although steamboats and engines certainly were in use. The global access we have today has many advantages, and also several disadvantages. We have near-instant access to unique cultures, ideas, and perspectives. Collaboration on medicine, science, art-nearly every industry we take for granted is benefitted by our ability to communicate around the world. In this case, we also all have immediate access to germs.
As my sociology professor said when we read Jared Diamond's, Guns, Germs, and Steel, it would have been more apt to title the book Germs, Germs, and Germs. Disease is a war unto itself and when a population of a state, country, nation, continent, or entire planet does not have immunity to it, the entire population is vulnerable. Given these thoughts about the invasion of the coronavirus from all levels of government (from the local to federal level), it begs the question...is this the World War of our generation?
The Doomsday Clock has been ticking slowly toward the witching hour of 12:00. Political tensions are more heightened than ever and it is more automatic to see our differences than similarities in modern culture. While I am terrified of the implications of this pandemic, I am also doing my best to see any positive change that may come in the wake of crisis. As the UK is pulled in two directions from Brexit, the Trump presidency has strained relationships with other nations and with our neighbors who live next door, nuclear power escalates...perhaps this is a war that the world may at last be unified on. I choose to believe that people are good. We will rally together on this issue, and allow the tide to crash into other global arenas such as climate change, immigration, etc. We are stronger together.
Every.
Single.
Time.
This generation will come out the other side of our World War, as the generation before us, and the generation before them did. We will be remembered for how we conduct ourselves in this crisis. For the humanity we dig up from deep within. For the generosity and love we show to others. For the contributions we make to our communities locally, nationally, and globally. For choosing hope and belief. For what we open ourselves up to learn from this scary, scary situation. My question is...what will the next generation be learning?
Let us continue to see the best in each other as we seek out the best in humanity.
Prepare, don't panic.
-Allison
Comments