From the Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola:
The Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola is an informal organization comprised of representatives of the twelve Rotary Clubs in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. While Rotary does not take political positions, our Clubs and members nevertheless recognize that well-functioning elections are essential to a well-functioning democracy and civil society. The first element of Rotary’s Four Way Test is “Is it the truth?” The second is: “Is it fair to all concerned?” We are concerned that the tenor of some public commentary on elections fails those tests.
Elections would be impossible without the support of both the full-time employees of our two counties’ Supervisors of Elections, and the numerous part-time workers to supplement the Supervisors’ resources during elections, particularly at individual polling locations. These poll-workers are our civic-minded neighbors whose only goal is to facilitate the voting process. However, in recent years, criticisms that are not “fair to all concerned” and are often untrue have been levelled at these neighbors and friends by persons seeking to undermine confidence in the results of elections.
Florida’s election laws have multiple safeguards built in to ensure confidence in the voting processes, including multiple steps in the process requiring the simultaneous involvement, verification and confirmation by election officers of different parties. And everyone working in the system undergoes substantial training and education in the legal requirements, and everything they do occurs transparently and observably.
Our Clubs support those who work hard and diligently to make our local elections work efficiently and properly. We particularly recognize that the universal motivation for poll-workers is a sense of civic duty and a desire to continue and further the vision and aspirations of our nation. We wholeheartedly and enthusiastically encourage courtesy and respect for those who have devoted their careers to the elections system and those who are only part-time election workers. They deserve that courtesy and respect. If one respects the foundational values of the United States, one must respect those who embody those values by working to ensure those values are maintained.
The third element of our Four Way Test is “Will it build good will and better friendships?” So when you vote, give those you encounter a smile and tell them that you appreciate their work.
