Election Day + 1 Wild Card: 11.4.09

Whew! In my 25 years in Coeur d’Alene, I haven’t seen an election as close as the one last night. Now, I’ll make a confession. I almost voted for LCDC antagonist Dan Gookin. Mebbe I was tired. Who knows? But I noticed when I double checked my ballot that I had filled in the oval alongside Gookin’s name rather than Deanna Goodlander’s. Immediately, I looked for an eraser. Then, I realized that you don’t erase election ballots. So, sheepishly, I took the original ballot to the head of the Assembly of God polling place and asked for another. She folded the ballot in half, tucked it in an envelope for spoiled ballots, and handed me another, without smiling. I slunk back to the voting booth and voted as I intended. Meanwhile, my wife announced to the four poll workers and two other voters: “I can’t take him anywhere.” Now for your Wild Card …