The morning started very cold. A couple poll workers’ fingers were too cold to drive by the second or third hour of standing in the cold rain. There was snow in eastern Buncombe County, and parts of Jackson County were reportedly white.

Kindly people crossed party lines to share blankets or hand warmers. Partisans passing out literature at first snubbed each other, but then, wanting to literally break the ice, struck up friendly conversations. Some of the talk was annoying. For example some folks, who would likely in other conversations rage against the military-industrial complex, thought the country should end all wars to bring the funds home for welfare programs. At least one person thought it would be a good idea to print lots of money to create wealth. Socialism was the order of the day. More regulation was needed to prevent corporations from destroying jobs and hoarding cash. One guy was open-minded and asked why the private sector would work better than the public. Just about everybody thought the non-binding referendum asking whether or not Asheville should sell its water system was either a stupid or a secretly-loaded question.

After the polls closed, it was time to hit the parties, where one could hear rhetorical political kudos. Perhaps the most refreshing comment came from Buncombe County Commission candidate David King, “Right now, I’m walking around in a daze.”