Government employees don’t get much love these days. During Minnesota’s Gubernatorial debates, Republican candidate Tom Emmer often described government in terms of “excess and bloat,” words that call to mind acid reflux disease.

County government employees in particular don’t get much love. As a reader of news, I find county stories lacking the high profile of state political news and the gut-check immediacy of local news. For me, county government is a gray and oblique area. Plus, county e-mail addresses have too many periods.

The UpTake has been down the recount road before, and I'm helping out in case it happens again. For my part I have contacted 25 counties, some of which I had never heard of before. I enter the canvass totals, or official vote counts, into a spreadsheet. Counties with official totals identical to unofficial totals are highlighted in robin’s-egg blue. As county after county totaled up, a horizon of robin’s-egg blue expanded. 

In a recent news conference about the likelihood of a recount, Tom Emmer used the word “process” 44 times. For many people, the word “process” is a talisman, something sacred to be revered. It was awesome to see the expanding blue horizon confirm a transparent election process. I don’t mean Valley Girl awesome but “awesome” in the word’s original intent, inspiring respect and wonder.

Like anyone who voted in this election, I have a preferred candidate. But if that robin’s-egg blue horizon revealed another candidate taking office, I would be at peace knowing that the system worked. Similarly, I couldn’t live with myself if I helped to rig an election so my candidate would win. I imagine county officials who are entrusted with ballots feel the same way. To rig an election would mean your professional life, which many people equate with their personal life, is a sham.

It’s not easy to do good work when people denigrate and disregard what you do. Especially when you do a job that’s not visible, a job that at any moment could be deemed excessive and redundant. To do a flawless job under those conditions is pretty awesome. (The opinions written here are mine and are not intended to represent The UpTake.)

This post was written by Susan Maricle and originally posted on Poultry and Prose. Follow Susan on Twitter: @poultryprose.