HEALING STARTS WITH EACH OF US
Here do we go from here? h The election is over, but the angst is not. What lies
Wahead for us as a nation, as a state, as a community, in our neighborhoods? h
How will we function in our families, in workplaces and in the daily commerce of our lives? h There is brokenness among us, regardless of which candidate we backed in Tuesday's election. Little about the blessed end of the campaign season was cleansing or helped to bridge the division and rancor that has been growing in our nation.
people come together — some in need, and others in service — but all with a generosity of spirit. And, we see so many benefits when we do, particularly in the strengthening of the well-being of the people of our region.”
Columbus community organizations
And in another example of how every vote counts, Gahanna voters virtually tied on Issue 22, a three-part package that includes two tax levies and a bond issue to fund the construction of a new high school.
As The Dispatch reported on Wednesday, just two votes out of more than 28,000 tallied in Tuesday's election were tipping the scales in favor of the issue, with 14,097 voters supporting it and 14,095 against it, according to unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections.
results.
That made it too close to call at that point, given that there were still outstanding absentee ballots to be counted in some precincts located in the school district. And in Ohio, any local election decided by less than half of 1% of votes triggers an automatic recount of ballots to ensure accuracy.
You might live elsewhere and have little interest in the Gahanna vote. But when such issues come up in your hometown, they become intensely important. That's why our news team started filling Dispatch.com and ThisWeeknews.com with results as soon as they were available on Tuesday night.
As with so many events and activities in this year of the coronavirus pandemic, it was an unusual night for the reporters, photographers and editors who worked Election Night. Typically, we would have been together in the newsroom, shouting results across the room to colleagues, calling for stories on deadline, eating cold pizza and drinking stale coffee late into the night.
This year, however, while a few reporters and photographers were out talking with candidates or the proponents and opponents of various issues, most of us worked from home or other remote locations.
We're grateful for the technology that allows us to bring you the news during a pandemic, because we know that while most eyes were on the presidential race, many of you had at least one eye on those important issues and races closest to home.
Alan D. Miller is editor of The Dispatch. amiller@dispatch.com @dispatcheditor
As your local news source, we fan out across the many communities in central Ohio on Election Day to bring you