Richland County voters made something good from a bad day to vote
If you randomly asked 50 people to name the one day when you absolutely, positively should not hold a local election, we’re willing to bet that “New Year’s Eve” would be among the first to leap from their lips.
Yet a healthy 7.5 percent of registered voters in Richland County actually took time out on New Year’s Eve to vote in a special election to pick a new Richland 1 school board member.
And by a landslide margin, they chose Jonathan Milling — a candidate who openly ran on a platform of bringing change and greater accountability to the Richland 1 school district — to fill the open board seat.
On both counts, the voters of Richland County can take a bow.
The relatively strong turnout to vote on a single race is a clear sign that citizens in Richland County are anxious to make their voices heard through their votes — even if they have to adjust their holiday activities to do it. That’s definitely a great sign for our region and state alike as we head into the massive 2020 election season.
Meanwhile, the voters’ overwhelming preference for Milling over four other candidates is a clear sign that citizens in the Richland 1 school district want more transparency from those who lead the system — and they’re using their voting power to demand it.
Milling has certainly been a champion for more openness in the school district: earlier this year his law firm successfully sued Richland I for conducting public business behind closed doors when it shouldn’t have been doing so.
Now that he’s been voted to the school board, Milling is in a prime position to continue that fight for less secrecy — and his decisive win should provide any encouragement he needs to do just that.
By turning out in impressive numbers to participate in an election that was held at possibly the worst time you could ever schedule one, the citizens of Richland County made something pretty good out of a pretty bad day to vote.
And that’s a pretty great way to start a big year for our democracy.