Rebel Media: From chalk boards to white boards

Rebel Media: From chalk boards to white boards

9 months, 1 week ago

From Hannibal.net: A long-standing election night tradition in New London will continue on Tuesday, Aug. 7, when the primary election results become available. According to County Clerk Ernie Duckworth, the local vote totals will be written on a large eraser board that will be set up on the courthouse porch.

“As a kid I remember them doing that and I’m 51 now,” he said, when asked how long the election-day tradition has been around. Not every ballot item will be listed. “We’ll only put up the ones where there races and then just the local stuff,” said Duckworth.

The county clerk noted that election results flow out into the county much faster today than they once did.

“Today someone can fax it to somebody so you get it quick,” said Duckworth.

From BG: Ernie is about five years older than I am, but I seem to recall chalk boards with election results at the Perry City Hall when I was younger. I did make a couple of trips later on to New London to see the results on the courthouse steps there.

My first memory of election politics was the Jerry LItton plane crash, which happened the night of August 3, 1976. LItton had won the Democratic U.S. Senate primary and was on his way to Kansas City for a victory party when the plane crashed after takeoff from Litton's native Chillicothe.

The irony there is Litton's death probably led to John Danforth's victory in that U.S. Senate race. I ended up idolizing Danforth.

Had Litton not been killed, he might have been the one I grew to admire (he also was a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism) and a lot of things might have been different.