October 28 in Westminster was a night for democracy

From the vantage point of the League of Women Voters, the night of October 28 in Westminster was a good example of democracy in action. That was the night that candidates, the public, and the media crowded into the training room of the Westminster Fire Department for a political forum, eight days before the election. Fire fighters take the size of crowds in a building seriously. They excused several from the audience because those attending exceeded safe capacity. What people say on social media was a standout issue in the Westminster election. And here are comments from Ruth Reed, co-president of the Clemson Area League of Women Voters: “The answers of several candidates and conversations I had with participants afterwards decried inflammatory Facebook postings and blocked responses. I’m not sure what the point(s) of contention are, but I think that, without the League structure of written questions and timed responses, the forum could have devolved into a shouting match with no real information being given. That it did not is a credit to the democratic process, to the League, and to our members who volunteer to carry out events such as hosting forums and registering voters.” Those comments are from Reed’s column in the current newsletter of the LWV. The LWV believes that, “We are all equal at the ballot box, but only if we vote.”