All votes matter

Missouri was front and center in the news coverage of Super Tuesday Two, as politicians, pundits and pollsters kept their eyes peeled awaiting the results. As it turned out, they would be waiting a long time before getting the answers they sought. Both the Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump-Ted Cruz battles provided the drama we've come to expect from this presidential cycle; not many dull moments have existed during the last several months, and Tuesday was no exception. The Show Me State primary elections for both the Republican and Democrat parties showed us -- or at least reminded us -- of something we have heard all our lives: Every vote counts.

Bernie Sanders, though no one believed he could actually beat Hillary Clinton, has garnered much more support than anyone expected when he announced his candidacy for president. Nonetheless, the self-professed democratic socialist, with an anti-Wall Street, free-stuff message, has managed to catch fire. They don't chant "Feel the Bern" for nothing. The senator from Vermont has, indeed, been on fiyah -- particularly with young adults, many of whom have not yet come to grips with the fact that nothing in life is really free.

Meanwhile, Clinton is under investigation for her private server/email debacle, and polling shows most Americans do not find her trustworthy. This, however, has not kept her from what appears to be an open road to her party's nomination.

Donald Trump has put his foot in his mouth in "yuge" ways, engaged in back-and-forth barbs with candidates, journalists and foreign dignitaries, all while providing few details about how, if elected, he will do what he's promised to do. Notwithstanding, he continues to roll over his opponents.

Ted Cruz was accused of playing "dirty tricks" on Dr. Ben Carson, a man for whom most could not bring themselves to vote, but who was arguably the most respected of the GOP candidates and deemed a brilliant mind. The accusation that Cruz did Carson dirty has not hindered Cruz from forging ahead in the race and giving Trump a run for his money.

Yes, this election season is anything but dull. Talk show hosts, news reporters and even comedians have no shortage of material with which to work. It's been a good time for entertainment television, if bad for the country.

Missouri's elections last Tuesday left us with numbers too close to call. Clinton's lead over Sanders was about 1,500. He conceded, opting not to request a recount. She received 49.6 percent of the vote to his 49.4 percent. Trump leads Cruz by about 1,700. His 40.9 percent is a slight lead over Cruz's 40.7 percent. He is the tentative winner, and the expectation is that his first-place status will stand.

Once again, every vote counts. Every. Single. Vote. Record numbers of people are voting this year, but there are always those who do not vote, who either don't become engaged enough in the process to feel qualified to vote or who think they are too busy to take 15 minutes to go to the polls to vote. For years, I was one of them, so I get it. But now that I have awakened, I shake my head at this, especially when it's right in my face how close races can be, as we just witnessed in Missouri.

Many of us find ourselves frustrated with what transpires around us. Nothing we think makes a difference, we feel. Nothing we do matters. So we hedge our bets, take a step back and let the chips fall where they may -- let the powers-that-be do their business. The problem with that thinking is that when it comes to voting, you are the power that must be about the business at hand. People who say such things as, "My husband and I support different candidates. We'll cancel out each other's votes, so there's no point" are wrong. I, for one, vote according to my conscience, and no one possesses power enough to cancel out that conscience.

The primary elections will come down to more factors than Missouri, but Missouri does testify to what we've heard all along: All votes matter. It is an honor to cast them -- both practically and ideologically. The closeness of this state's primary leaves me wondering how things would have come down on both the Democrat and Republican sides if everyone had exercised that right. Of course, we'll never know.

Adrienne Ross is an editor, writer, public speaker, online radio show host, former teacher and coach, Southeast Missourian editorial board member, and owner of Adrienne Ross Communications. Reach her at aross@semissourian.com.