Former first lady Michelle Obama, during her speech on the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention in 2020, said, “I am one of a handful of people living today who have seen firsthand the immense weight and awesome power of the presidency.
“And let me once again tell you this: the job is hard. It requires clear-headed judgment, a mastery of complex and competing issues, a devotion to facts and history, a moral compass, and an ability to listen—and an abiding belief that each of the 330,000,000 lives in this country has meaning and worth.
“A president’s words have the power to move markets. They can start wars or broker peace. They can summon our better angels or awaken our worst instincts. You simply cannot fake your way through this job.
“As I’ve said before, being president doesn’t change who you are; it reveals who you are. Well, a presidential election can reveal who we are, too. And four years ago, too many people chose to believe that their votes didn’t matter. Maybe they were fed up. Maybe they thought the outcome wouldn’t be close. Maybe the barriers felt too steep. Whatever the reason, in the end, those choices sent someone to the Oval Office who lost the national popular vote by nearly 3,000,000 votes.
“In one of the states that determined the outcome, the winning margin averaged out to just two votes per precinct—two votes. And we’ve all been living with the consequences.”
Michelle Obama was referring to Michigan, and her math is accurate.
In the 2016 election, Michigan—one of three crucial states that Trump flipped from the Democrats on his way to victory—had 4,810 precincts.
The final count in the presidential race had Trump with 2,279,543 votes in Michigan and his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, with 2,268,839. That’s a winning margin for Trump of 10,704 votes.
Dividing 10,704 votes by 4,810 precincts equals 2.23 votes per precinct.
Now, as it happened, each of three third party candidates in that election—Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and Darrell L. Castle—also won more votes than Trump’s margin over Clinton.
Or consider this: Clinton lost 12 counties that Barack Obama had won in 2012 while he was winning the state as a whole. One major shift occurred in Macomb County, Michigan’s third largest county by population, which Obama had won by four points in 2012 but Trump won by 11. Trump’s margin of victory in Macomb County was easily enough to hand the state to Trump by itself.
About two weeks before the November 2016 election, Michelle Obama joined Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally in Salem, N.C. It was the first time Obama campaigned with Clinton.
During her remarks, Michelle Obama said, “If Hillary doesn’t win this election, that will be on us. It will be because we did not stand with her. It will be because we did not vote for her, and that is exactly what her opponent is hoping will happen. That’s the strategy, to make this election so dirty and ugly that we don’t want any part of it.
“So, when you hear folks talking about a global conspiracy, and saying that this election is rigged, understand that they are trying to get you to stay home. They are trying to convince you that your vote doesn’t matter, that the outcome has already been determined, and you shouldn’t even bother making your voice heard.
“They are trying to take away your hope. And just for the record, in this country, the United States of America, the voters decide our elections, they’ve always decided, voters decided who wins and who loses, period, end of story.
“And we know that every vote matters. Every single vote. And if you have any doubt about that, consider this. Back in 2008, and I say this everywhere I go, Barack won North Carolina by about 14,000 votes.
“Which sounds like a lot, but when you break the number down, the difference between winning and losing this state was a little over two votes per precinct.
“See, I want you all to take that in. I know that there are people here who didn’t vote. Two votes. And people knew people who didn’t vote. Two votes. If just two or three folks per precinct had gone the other way, Barack would have lost that state and could have lost the election.
“This is how presidential elections go. They are decided on a razor’s edge. So, in this stadium, just think about it. Each of you could swing an entire precinct and win this election for Hillary, just by getting yourselves, your friends and your family out to vote.”
The same is true for this year's election. So, let’s take a closer look at Otsego County. For the 2020 presidential election, the total number of voters was 14,852, a little over 64% of eligible voters in our county. Even though it was during the Covid-19 pandemic, 11,368 people voted on Election Day and 3,484 returned an absentee ballot.
With two weeks until the Nov. 5 general election, 2,920 voters have returned their absentee ballot (a 54% response rate). We are on track to surpass the total in 2020. The Secretary of State’s Office recommends that persons voting absentee should not return their ballots by mail after Tuesday, Oct. 22, to avoid potential mailing delays. To ensure their ballot is received and counted, voters can return absentee ballots to their local clerk’s office, or to local ballot drop boxes, at local early voting sites, or to the person’s voting precinct on Election Day.
And this election, all registered voters in Otsego County may cast ballots early, in person, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3 at City Hall, 305 E. Main Street, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. And, of course, you can vote—and even register to vote—in person on Nov. 5. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Click here to look up your voter information.
Every vote matters. Every single vote. So, now is the time to make your plan to vote. Your vote is your voice and your voice is your power.
VOTE!
