One vote. Sometimes that is all it takes. One single voice, one extra opinion, one more ballot. One may be the loneliest number but it carries the weight of the world.
Late Thursday, Assembly Bill 19 - the same-sex marriage bill guaranteeing contractual rights to essentially civil unions - failed 37-36 in the lower house in its final vote. One single vote led to its complete failure. Forty-one favorable votes were needed to pass the bill outright but the difference between a tie and a loss was one political nay. Only one. Depending on what side of the issue one falls, that single vote is either the lone voice of reason or a call for just one more ballot with a different point of view. One vote echoed throughout the state, ricocheting into the courts, breaking the hearts of couples who had thought the American dream of marriage, white picket fence and 2.5 kids was finally within reach. That same vote gave faith to the legions that believe that marriage is a right only belonging to a man and a woman.
Canada's liberal party - the party of its current prime minister - kept hold of its power by a single vote over Conservatives. The nail biting of a month-long soap opera-style battle came down to the wire and to the last-minute vote switch by an independent politician which tied up the process. Try telling that party and Prime Minister Paul Martin one vote isn't momentous.
The power of one is under-appreciated by the masses - which seems fitting considering the topic of the individual. Yet, all it takes is one juror to deadlock a verdict, one whistleblower to change the law or the course of history, one minute to change the rest of one's life.
Last week, "Deep Throat" - former FBI man W. Mark Felt - finally coughed up an identity kept tightly sealed and speculated about for decades. The revelation was met with analysis and hoopla but, in the end, it confirms that presidents and administrations don't need conspiracy theories and webs of adversaries to topple. Sometimes they just need one person willing to do what he or she believes right. Look at executive Sherron Watkins who made Enron a household example of crooked accounting; look at the FBI agents who tried repeatedly before the Sept. 11 tragedy to cast light on the gaggle of terrorists attending flight school; look at Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, the Brown and Williamson honcho who cleared the smoke of the tobacco industry.
Yet, despite the evidence to the contrary, the strength of one remains overlooked. Voter turnout is still despairingly low - what difference can a single ballot make, right? Politicians abstain to avoid taking any specific stance and jeopardize potential careers - who will really notice?
The truth, though, is basic mathematics. One is more than zero, one plus one equals two, one plus two equals three and so forth and so forth. One is the building block of every other numeral, the first step of every marathon and the basis of every beginning.
Michelle Durand's column "Off the Beat" runs every Monday and Thursday. She can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 104. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.