“Losing Twice”

~ Elizabeth

The other time honored tradition in the eighth grade was the election of the Student Body President. My school went from kindergarten through the eighth grade, and all students could vote. We had been preparing for this capstone election throughout our years, with regular class elections. But this one brought out election posters up and down the halls drawn by all classes supporting one or the other. Me or Anne, as it happens.

I had siblings in kindergarten, second and fifth grade, giving me a slight edge over Anne whose siblings were only in second and fifth grade. We counted on their help in “getting out the vote.” But after all the politicking, the speeches and the posters, when the final vote was tallied, Anne won and I lost. To my eternal gratitude the actual numbers were never released in these races. I hoped I hadn’t been crushed by her, but I will never know.

I tried again in high school running for Student Body Treasurer against Rhoda. We came from two different elementary schools, with Rhoda’s being the more prestigious. She actually confronted me in the hall and said “I would be mortified if you won.” She wasn’t mortified and I didn’t win. Again the actual vote count was kept secret.

Why my involvement in school politics? My parents were very active in local politics with my father running for State Representative. He lost. My mother ran for the school board. She won. It just was part of my family life supported throughout with civics lessons during all of my education. I haven’t run again, but I always vote. It is just part of me now.

19 thoughts on ““Losing Twice””

  1. When I stayed on at school into the ‘Sixth Form’. I was asked to stand for election as ‘Head Boy’. Because I was enamoured of the girl likely to be Head Girl, I did. But I came second, so was elected ‘Deputy Head Boy’. It wasn’t the same, a lot like being Mike Pence.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  5. Around election time, I constructed election booths for the students in my elementary school to vote for President too. To make it more realistic, they had a week to register before the election. If they didn’t register, they didn’t get to vote.

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  8. It is interesting how some people like to run for these sorts of positions and some don’t. I never ran for any at school and my older son was asked to run for head of house and turned it down. We are clearly not a political family.

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  11. never had to run for anything, but that was because “no one wanted” to the executive in my craft organisation – mostly would just propose one and a seconded – there you were. Good experience in many way – learnt a lot about “people” – sometimes not for the right reasons!

    But also built up an extensive network – which came in handy a lot of times, much later on…Now retired from the organisational side of things, and like being a “nobody” 🙂

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