There’s a one-in-a-million chance I won’t make it to Election Night, and will never find out whether America is descending into a fascist dystopia or a socialist nightmare.
Or perhaps my chances are even less favorable than that?
It would appear from the latest dire reports in the media, that close to one-in-a-thousand Americans have already succumbed to the cornoavirus, as of October 26. Our US population is about 330 million, if we want to believe the US Census Bureau… And about 300,000 of my fellow citizens may have already died from COVID-19, if we want to believe the latest scientific study from the Centers for Diseease Control and Prevention (CDC).
I’m not a mathematician, but I think that’s one-in-a-thousand?
My concern arose from an article published here in today’s Daily Post, under the headline, “Got Voting Questions? Here Are Some Answers…”
The fourth question-and-answer was posed in a somewhat disturbing manner:
One of my family members is seriously ill, but insists on casting a ballot. What if they die before Election Day?
If a ballot is cast before November 3 when the person is alive, it will count and is legal.
We can’t discount the fact that the US has reported about 5,700 COVID fatalities over the past seven days, and it’s likely another 6,000 Americans will pass softly into that good night between now and November 3. Here in Colorado, the daily case numbers are higher than they’ve ever been… and the state’s seven-day test positivity rate, at 5.8%, is at its highest level since June. Hospitalizations are at their highest level since May 21.
So this slightly macabre question posed to the Colorado News Collaborative team of reporters — “What if my family member dies before Election Day?” — as certainly valid. Someone who is not sure they will survive until November 3 might still want to vote, and help ensure the best possible future for America, for those who will continue living and experiencing that future. Certainly, this would be an honorable desire.
But you might almost think the deadly virus intends to discourage people from voting in this election, or doing anything social. Colorado health officials issued an order last Friday, limiting gatherings in the state to no more than 10 people from two separate households in an effort to slow rising COVID cases and hospitalizations. The order goes into effect immediately and lasts for at least 30 days.
Previously, we were allowed to gather in groups of up to 25, with no limit on how many households were involved.
Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, wrote:
“We are asking all Coloradans to act with an abundance of caution to reverse these worrying trends. Right now, the virus is spreading when people from multiple households attend [social] gatherings.”
No socializing with multiple families, in parks, backyards or indoors, for the time being, folks. You can read the order here.
The order apparently applies only to social gatherings outside of a business or office setting, however, since it includes exemptions for athletics, restaurants, retail, manufacturing, health care settings, offices, businesses, governments, schools, universities and places of worship.
The order doesn’t provide specifics on what penalties violators could face, only that “local authorities are encouraged to determine the best course of action to encourage maximum compliance. Failure to comply with this order could result in penalties, including jail time, and fines, and may also be subject to discipline on a professional license based upon the applicable practice act.” That language strikes me as uncomfortably vague, implying that “local authorities” are expected to define the penalties.
I calculate my chances of living to see the results of the 2020 election as ‘fairly good’. We’ve not yet had a reported COVID death in Archuleta County, and now that cocktail parties and multi-family picnics are outlawed for at least the next 30 days, my chances are probably even better.
Incidentally, I already dropped off my ballot. Just to be sure.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.