Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Low Down Dirty Vote! An anthology

JENN McKINLAY: When I first heard about this anthology, I thought what a perfect way to commemorate the Fourth of July, by celebrating the right to vote shared by each and every citizen of the U.S. And here is Ann Parker, one of this all star crime fiction lineup, here to tell us more about it! Take it away, Ann.


Ann Parker: July 4—The perfect day for the launch of the crime fiction anthology Low Down Dirty Vote! What is more central to our country, to our government, to the ups and downs of our politics, than the vote? Who has it, who doesn’t. How the right to vote can be subverted, twisted, denied.
So, when editor Mysti Berry asked if I wanted to contribute to this anthology, which has the theme of voter suppression, I said, “Sure!” 
But first, I had to come up with a story… 
Being that I am who I am, my musings turned to the past, and a long buried memory stepped forward to nudge me. I couldn’t have been more than seven years old, maybe eight. We were visiting grandparents and relatives in Colorado, and the “grownups” were talking about some recent or upcoming election. (I’m going to guess that it was the 1960 election, given my age at that time and the fact that this was about when I became “aware” of such things as political parties, voting, elections, etc.) I recall, very clearly, my paternal grandfather saying to the room at large: “She [my grandmother] votes the way I tell her to.” I waited to see if he laughed. If what he said was some kind of joke.
He didn’t. It wasn’t.
His comment stuck with me, and decades later, surfaced again as I pondered story possibilities for Mysti’s anthology. 
Voter suppression? 
Indeed.
And at the most personal, intimate level.
So, I had my hook. Now, I needed a time and place. 
I turned my focus to the past and began exploring the history of women’s rights and politics in the U.S. … And I found my setting: 1870, Wyoming Territory.
On December 10, 1869, Wyoming’s territorial legislators passed a bill that was signed into law granting women the right to vote. As to why Wyoming, and why then...well, there are all kinds of stories and theories. Arguments abounded against giving women the vote. You can read some of the common 19th century arguments against women’s suffrage in the online Slate article, “Common 19th Century Arguments Against Women’s Suffrage, Neatly Refuted,” by Rebecca Onion.

 Women Vote in Cheyenne, November 1888. The steeple of the Union Pacific Depot is visible in the background. Library of Congress.
So, did men stop their wives from voting, or tell them how to vote? This is not the kind of thing one would read about in the newspapers of the day, but I suspect such voter suppression (or manipulation) existed in the private sphere: over dining tables, in the bedrooms, on the way to the polls—admonitions, threats, orders, directives, delivered from man to wife, father to daughter, brother to sister. 
I have only a single, personal data point from 1960. How many more, do you imagine, might there be, stretching from the past to the present?
Even one is one too many. 
IMHO.

What about you, Reds and readers, what does voting mean to you? And we're not talking political parties or any of that jazz, we're talking the simple act of voting. How did you feel the first time you pulled the lever, punched the card, or inked in the spot?
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Low Down Dirty Vote: Find buy links and learn more about the anthology here. All proceeds are being donated to the ACLU to fight voter suppression.

Ann Parker is the author of the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series. Her short story, “A Clean Sweep,” appears in the Low Down Dirty Voteanthology.

55 comments:

  1. Happy book birthday, Ann . . . this a perfect day for your book’s debut.

    There’s something uniquely special about having your choices and opinions matter, about having them be important . . . . it’s a privilege to vote.

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  2. I'm a big fan of the ideals upon which this country was founded, and voting has to be one of the most important things we, as citizens, have the right and privilege to do. I turned 18 on an election day, and registered to vote a couple of months out so I wouldn't miss my first chance to have my say. When I moved to my current town, registering to vote was right up there on my list of things to do, alongside getting my electricity turned on. I've missed a few municipal elections over the years, but none of the big, national ones. I think it's very important, and I hate all the nonsense my state has begun to require for people to have the right to vote. They say, "Just use your driver's license as your voter ID," then require an appointment and no-joke five different kinds of documentation to get your DL renewed. I prove my citizenship with my passport, but passports aren't cheap, so low-income folks don't have easy access to that form of ID. Now states have the right to aggressively purge their voter rolls, so if you want to vote, be sure to check your registration status, and defend your right to vote every chance you get!

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    1. Hello Joan! I agree... We’re lucky to “have a voice” in our government, from school board to city hall to state and federal levels. I still remember the thrill when I turned 18 and could finally vote!

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    2. Hi Gigi!
      Five pieces of “proof” to get s driver’s license?? Yikes! Yes, the move toward quick purging of voter rolls is disturbing. We all need to keep an eye on our voting status and stay current....

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    3. Five: proof of citizenship (passport or birth certificate), social security card, proof of identity (voter registration card, school ID, work ID . . . because the passport isn't enough?), proof of residence (utility bill, homeowners insurance), current car insurance. Each of these could be problematic for low-income or elderly people. Suppose you live with friends or family in a rented apartment? The utility bills might not be in your name. Or they might simply be in your spouse's name. Suppose you don't have a car, but want a drivers license for voter ID purposes? No car insurance. Suppose you were born, like my mother, in a state at a time when your birth certificate was issued by the hospital, not the state? She spent months trying to get a certified copy that the DMV would accept. And what's the circular logic behind using your voter registration card to renew your license, but needing a license to get a voter registration card? Most times you can renew your license easily online, but every third time you have to drag in all this clobber to renew. My guess is that, at the time the stricter laws were passed, most voters were renewing online and figured it would be a breeze to renew in person as well, so they weren't paying attention. It's crazy.

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    4. Gigi, I was just reading last night (in a yet-to-be published book) about states (like Alabama) closing the DMV offices in counties to 'save costs.' Interestingly enough, those counties happen to have the highest black/Latinx populations in the state and are also among the poorest counties. Now where do those people go to get a driver's license so they can register to vote? It's appalling the backhanded ways people's ability to vote can be limited in a democracy.

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    5. I can understand tightening voter registration to a point. Don't forget a lot of dead people in Duval County voted for years!

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    6. OMG, Gigi! That's.... mind-boggling. I can easily see where someone would not have at least one of these five pieces of proof. I wonder how this lines up with other states.

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    7. Flora - That's very sad. And does seem like a very "back door" (suspect) approach to limiting voting rights. :-(

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    8. Hello Pat,
      Understandable, but five pieces of documentation sounds (from my outsider's view) overboard. I wonder how folks proved their identities for voting back in the 19th century. Or did they? Could you just walk up to a polling place, say "I'm Sam Smith, living at XXX," and vote? And then, could you trot across town, to a different polling place, say, "I'm Dave Smith, living at YYY," and vote again? Hmmm.

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    9. You are more likely to be hit by lightning than impersonate someone else (or yourself twice) and vote. https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/debunking-voter-fraud-myth . The Duval County issue was traced to a third-party registration firm whose job it is to inspect forms for irregularities. They are being sued. Impersonation voting is when you vote under your real name, then vote again as a dead person or someone you know won't be voting themselves. That's the only scenario we don't have in Low Down Dirty Vote!

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    10. Gigi, to get a driver’s license here, we have to have accumulate six points with a variety of documents . . . a birth certificate, active duty U.S. military photo ID card, or U.S. passport gets you four points . . . a current U.S. military dependent card or photo military retiree card gets you three points . . . a social security card, back statement, current state photo driver’s license, or an ATM card with your name and signature gets you one point . . . a credit card bill verifies your address [or, for teens, parents can verify the address].
      Even if you do not choose to use your social security card as part of your six points, you still must provide your social security number so the DMV can match your name and birth date. Although there is a longer list of items the DMV will accept, both for citizens and non-citizens, it’s still jumping through a lot of hoops to get a driver’s license. There's much less hoop-jumping to register to vote, probably because you've already given all that information to the DMV . . . .

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  3. I do vote and I also worry that my vote doesn't count. For instance in NY the electoral votes were determined by the majority - winner take all, which seems very unfair to me. In the last election I didn't care for either candidate but I knew that a vote for a lesser candidate would actually help the winner win, if you see what I mean. I felt I would lose no matter what. But still I voted and will continue to do so.
    I remember while I was growing up hearing my mother say that my father would vote for whoever she told him to. A different type of voter suppression. But even then I remember thinking: secret ballot, she can't know for sure who he actually voted for. BTW, I also remember her saying to me that since our votes would cancel each other out let's agree not to vote. I'm not sure she was serious and I know we both voted!

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    1. Hello Judi,
      I do see what you mean. Sometimes it can feel "useless" to vote, but it's our country and our civic duty. I had to laugh about your mother's comment to your father... It certainly works both ways! And with secret ballot at the polling station, well, who knows what marks are made behind the curtain, right? ;-)

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  4. I have voted in all elections - except one primary when I was in bed with the flu - since I could vote lo those many years ago...my theory is every vote should count and if you don't vote you have no right to complain.

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  5. Sounds like a great anthology, so appropriate for the day.
    I remember being very short and going with my mother to vote--booths were set up in our elementary school kindergarten.
    I always vote. Always always always. In a recent local (VERY local) election I campaigned to oust a planning board member who'd served 30 years. SO satisfying. The 80-vote edge in my precinct made the difference. A lot of politics is still local.

    On the voter ID thing... my mother-in-law was 90+ when she died and never would have been allowed to vote. She couldn't get through TSA because she didn't drive. Had no reason to get a passport.

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    1. Hello Hallie,
      I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy and read it. There are some GREAT stories in there. I know folks who eschew local politics and just focus on the state and national elections, but my philosophy is every vote counts at every level. It's been heartening to see the revival in energy and interest in local politics here... the silver lining, one might say.

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    2. Local votes are so important!

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  6. I never miss an election, and to this day I find it a thrill to cast my vote. One of my favorite things when I was raising my son was to take him to the polls with me each election cycle, so he could see how the process works, and how important it was to me.

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    1. Good for you, Susan! I did the same. :-)
      I have to say, I don't think my (now all-grown-up) kids ever vote in person at a polling station. It's all mail-in ballots, these days. Which is kind of too bad... I love the feeling of camaraderie at a polling station on election day... and getting my "I've Voted" sticker!

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    2. Same here, Ann. I love my I Voted stickers and actually stick them here and there in my house. A constant reminder of the importance of political action, no matter how small.

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  7. We had a very important primary election last month, to pick a candidate to replace our wonderful Louise Slaughter in the House of Representatives. I believe the winning candidate had the best opportunity of the field to make sure we hold on to that seat. Had life been different in our country, I might have voted for the more progressive young black woman. She ticked more of my boxes. But she was inexperienced, not in life but in politics. I'm afraid this is something we all have to think about when we vote in the mid-terms this fall, not as much who is the best of the best but who can win.

    Ok, it's early in the morning for me to be thinking, fuzzy headed old woman that I am.

    By the way, I have a copy of LOW DOWN DIRTY VOTE on the way. Thank you Catriona!

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    1. Hi Ann,
      Glad to hear Catriona sent you a copy of the anthology! Hope you like it!
      Yes, there's all kinds of pondering folks must do for the upcoming elections. Still, look at what happened in NYC with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Of course, that's a primary election. It will be interesting to see where things go from there...

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  8. Very interesting. I never really thought about the early women voters (or today's voters, for that matter) being pressured into voting a certain way by their spouses, but it certainly makes sense. The anthology sounds like a great read!

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    1. Hi Marla,
      Food for thought, right? Hope you get a chance to read the anthology. There are some great stories in there! Thanks for coming by and commenting!

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  9. My parents were very politically active, and it was hilarious… I remember being the only kid in my school to wear a Stevenson button when everyone else had Eisenhower.
    And I started working as a volunteer in political campaigns before I was old enough to vote.
    I almost cry on voting day, because I go to my little community center, and see everybody doing the same thing, and it is such a joy.
    I wear my “I voted”sticker so proudly!
    Yes, local local local. That’s how we can all make a difference.
    This anthology sounds fantastic!
    Happy 4th everyone!

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    1. Hank, I still have my Stevenson/Sparkman button

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    2. Hi again Hank,
      I can recall the run-up to the Kennedy/Nixon election clearly... I think that's when I began to become aware of the fact that there were "two sides" and that they could disagree, vehemently! The kids at school "lined up" on one side or the other. I'm sure at that point we were all just following our parents' leads.

      Ann, Wow! That button would probably get you a pretty penny on eBay! ;-)

      Happy 4th to you and everyone else too!

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  10. Congratulations on the anthology publication! In Ohio, every vote is crucial, in every race. If you don't bother to vote, you don't have the right to complain about the current political situation.

    I remember when my son registered for the draft and registered to vote, all in one day. Happy 18th.

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    1. Hi Margaret!
      Editor/publisher Mysti Berry did an excellent job in pulling this all together... and in record time! :-) It's a great collection, I hope you have a chance to read through it.
      My son was the same. Wow, 18... that was a long time ago now, for me (and for him!).

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  11. I live in Ohio, Margaret, and I make sure to vote. Like Ann, it's hard figuring out who might be the best candidate sometimes--because sometimes it is a vote for who is most likely to win as opposed to who you think has the better ideas. But, Ohio! Gerrymandering districts carved up northern Ohio like you wouldn't believe. Those districts look like a 3-year-old's crayon scribbles now.

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    1. Hi Flora,
      The gerrymandering is bizarre, isn't it. I wonder how the "districts" were determined in the 19th century. Maybe by "wards?" Hmmm. Something for me to research...

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    2. I live in Ohio district one, a gerrymandered district created in 2010. Our do nothing congressman just announced a one issue election. We're invited to his "phone in" town hall meetings because he's afraid to confront we the people face to face.

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  12. I was a political science major in college, so I gained a real appreciation for the importance of voting. I learned about so many other political systems where people didn't have a voice. I always vote! Congrats, Ann, and happy Fourth of July.

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    1. And a happy Fourth of July to you too, Ingrid! :-) If you get a chance to check out the anthology, please do so. I think you'd enjoy it...

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  13. Hello All. Happy 4th of July. My copy of the anthology is expected to arrive on Monday and I'm excited. My political awakening happened in grade school during a debate put on by the students in support of the Presidential race. Up to that point I was marginally aware. The kid who offered the argument in support of the "other guy" was not one of the popular kids. It was his courage to voice an opinion that was not in keeping with the crowd, his belief in the power of the voice of a single person that opened me to the need to be engaged in the process. every vote does count.

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    1. Hi Lyda,
      Grade school... it was the same for me. And kudos to the kid who stood up for the "other guy." Everyone should have a voice... and a vote! :-)

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  14. Congratulations on the anthology. I already have it right on my bedside table ready to start. Who remembers the All in the Family episode about voting? Something like this: where Archie is bragging to his daughter about how his and Edith's conservative votes would cancel his daughter's lefty? And Edith smiles and simply says, "Oh, Archie, I wouldn't be too sure about that." Wonder how many homes that happened?

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    1. Hi Triss,
      HA! I don't remember that one, but I'd love to see it (again?). Hope you enjoy the anthology!

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  15. I've been voting ever since I reached voting age, which at the time was 21. I couldn't wait! My immigrant grandmother told me when I was a child that she and my grandfather became citizens as soon as they could, and never missed an election. As a child, I often went into the voting booth with one of my parents. The booth, the curtain, the levers...it was all so exciting! I hate that CT now uses paper ballots.

    We've had to provide ID at the polls for a few years now, but just one form. Five?! That's ridiculous! I have to laugh when I show up at the polls and pull out my license, because about 90 per cent of the time I know more than half of the poll workers; this is a small city in a small state.

    Hank, during the Stevenson/Eisenhower election season I remember the cars driving through our neighborhood (usually at dinnertime) urging people, over loudspeakers, to vote for either Stevenson or Eisenhower! I think it's been decades since election workers have done anything like that.

    DebRo

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    1. Hello Deborah,
      I remember those car-cruisers with the loudspeakers as well!
      Wow... that was a (ahem) while ago. :-}
      Wishing you a great July 4th!

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    2. Yeah, it WAS a while ago, wasn't it? :-) But I think those cars with loudspeakers are part of the reason I grew up knowing that voting is important, you know?

      DebRo

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  16. This anthology sounds great, and I certainly want to support voters' right in any way I can. I've always voted, although I have to admit there have been years when I skipped local elections because I didn't know enough about the candidates. No more!!! I vote in every election, including runoffs. I'm very proud of my daughter because she votes, too, and very conscientiously researches all the candidates. Our local paper, the Dallas Morning News, does a great job of profiling local, state, and national candidates and outlining their platforms.

    I'm sure my mother never voted any other way than my father. Once she voted against a candidate for state commissioner of agriculture who stood for everything she was passionate about because she pulled a straight ticket for the "correct" party. I was so disillusioned. I vowed that I would always consider individual candidates no matter the party.

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  17. Ann Parker, welcome to Jungle Reds! I met you at a Sisters in Crime meeting in the Bay Area. Voting is a big deal in my family. The first thing I did on my eighteenth birthday was to register to vote. It is a big privilege to be able to vote. I really feel bad for people who could vote and do not bother to vote because they feel that their vote does not make any difference. Two of my great grandmothers were suffragists who fought for women's right to vote. I want to think happy thoughts today so I am not going to get into the specifics today.

    Wishing everyone a safe celebration today.

    Thank you for reminding us.

    Diana

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  18. I was quite dismayed the first time I voted in a presidential election. I didn't like either candidate. But I voted then and haven't missed an election since. I do not always vote in the local elections though. Shame on me. Lately life events have made it hard to keep track of everything going on and I hate to vote in ignorance. A lot of times my husband and my son ask ME who to vote for on the state and local levels. And ask about the local issues on the ballot. But yes. I certainly remember the bad old days when wives voted the way their husbands told them to. I think a lot of that was voluntary, not mandated.

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    1. Hi Pat,
      There are times when the candidates just don't align with our hopes/beliefs, but right? Good for you for going in and casting your vote anyway!
      Local elections have become very prominent in my locale all of a sudden. A flood of folks are stepping up for school board etc., when it used to be a pretty quiet affair. All to the good!
      I wouldn't be surprised if some women did the nodding and "yes-dear"ing and then, once behind the curtain, went their own way. But I imagine more accepted their husbands' advice. I don't have data on this, just a hunch is all.

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  19. What a great anthology! I always vote, and always feel privileged to do so. I remember my grandmother, born in 1909, telling me about how joyful and excited her mother was to be able to cast her first vote in 1920. Ross and I tried to impress that on our kids, and I'm proud to say they are all regulars at the ballot box (or in the Sailor's case, at the mail-in-ballot.)

    This recent June primary was Youngest's first chance to vote - by Maine law, citizens who will be 18 at the time of the general election are allowed to cast their primary ballots even if they are still 17, as was the case for her. She had just graduated the weekend before, and said she was more excited about voting than she had been to graduate!

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    1. Hurray for Youngest, and Sailor, and all the rest of your family! :-D
      I love the story of your grandmother and mother. Thanks for sharing... and enjoy the anthology!

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  20. I'm excited about this anthology, its theme and where the profits will go. I have ordered it and await its delivery. Voting is important to me. I receive my little "I Voted" sticker with great pride that I have taken part in the process. I'm a firm believer in one vote does mean something and that you don't have any room to complain if you don't vote.

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    1. Thank you Kathy! It's exciting to see how many people are enthused about voting!!!!

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    2. My feelings exactly, Kathy! So glad you ordered a copy... It's chock-full of great stories and it's all for a good cause. Enjoy!

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  21. Hi everyone! I'm the lucky soul who was able to corral so many talented writers into one anthology, and all to support voting rights! This was a labor of love, and I'm about to write the $5,000 check and mail it in--the charity gets an advance on our sales!

    True confession time. Editing and publishing this book is my attempt at a karma buy-back. You see, in 1980, my first presidential vote, I didn't see the difference between Carter and Reagan. Instead of educating myself, I wrote in a cartoon character, and felt so edgy and hip and above it all.

    When the young people this year started becoming politically active at the local and national level, it reminded me of the vote I squandered. Imagine if everyone of my generation had showed up instead of opting out? We might have solved climate change, immigration policy, income inequity...well, I can't take that vote back, but I have voted FOR things ever since. Thank you all for interest in the anthology, but most of all, thank you everyone for voting and for caring about our great nation, whichever party or policy beliefs you hold. THANK YOU!!!! (and thank you Ann for the kick-ass story. You make history come alive for me!!!)

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    1. Hurray for the mighty editor, Mysti! And THANK YOU for creating the anthology and inviting me to contribute. It's an honor to be included among such talented writers... :-)

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