A flock of coots on Crystal Lake.
Unlike these coots that I saw on the way to vote at the Crystal Lake Park District Main Beach House, this old coot had a mission besides survival.
It was to participate in the democratic process.
Turkey vultures, which as a kid I called buzzards, were flying around the Main Beach House.
As I was leaving the parking lot, however, I saw turkey vultures circling the Main Beach.
A turkey vultue flying over the Main Beach in Crystal Lake.
Was that significant?
Inside, I found the voter participation was as dismal as at other precincts in the Crystal Lake area. Both Algonquin Township Precincts 7 and 19 voters cast their ballots in the little back room of the Beach House.
I voted about 5 o’clock.
Was it crowded?
Judge for yourself.
Besides myself and the judges, only one voter was exercising what I would consider his patriotic duty when I was at the polls.
One of the judges asked if i had seen the coyote on the beach.
Vultures, coyotes…what going on?
On Crystal Lake Main's Beach stands a fake coyote. A sign says, "Property of the Crystal Lake Park District. Do not remove."
It seemed to be working.
If you were a goose and saw this from the air, would you want to land nearby?
The only geese I noticed took off flying away from the beach.
So, did the lack of competition in the Crystal Lake High School Board, City Council, Park Board and limited competition in the Grade School District deter people from voting?
Did they think nothing was at stake when officials that will levy 90% of our property taxes were being elected?
Was the vibrant, but under publicized, McHenry County College Trustee race not enough to bring people to the polls?
Or was it, at least in these two precincts, the lurking scavengers that scared people off?
The two precincts have 1,097 voters. At 5 PM, 89 had voted.
That’s 8.1%.
Of course, that does not include early and absentee votes.
Truly, as I pointed out earlier, anyone could have won any race.