By Lea Terry, Yukon Review
WINNING Column-November 2002
There's a plague sweeping across the nation. It strikes without warning, without reason and without mercy. Symptoms include: a nagging feeling of impending doom, debilitating panic attacks and an overshelming urge to move to Canada. It is called – Voter's Remorse.
I am an infrequent voter. Because I believe it is worse to vote unwisely than not to vote at all, I feel that I am actualy performing a public service by staying away from the polls. My decisionmaking skills are so poor that if it were left up to me, I would probably vote Donald Duck into office.
Wait a minute -– that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. Anyway, I have always felt that voting should be taken seriously. Voters should research the candidates and the issues, and be positively certain of their decision before marking their ballits, I can't make heads or tails fo the issues, and freankly, I always think the candidates seem eerily similar to one another.
There's also the fact that everything and everyone I vote for loses. So I shy away from making such a monumantal decision. However, this year I felt it was of the utmost importance that I vote. Thre were several issues I wanted to

vote for, and several candidates I wanted to vote against.
Besides, I was a member of the media now. How would it look if I shirkd by civic responsibility, especially when I had interviewd some of the candidates? So I followed the news coverage the best I could, and voted only on things I was certain I supported. I was expecting everything and everyone I voted for to lose, but on election night I watched in amazemennt as most of my choices came out winners. At last! My losing streak had been broken!
The next day, I was basking in the glow of having picked several winners, and turned on the television to watch the post-election news coverage and gloat a little. As I watched the newly elected officials take the podim to address the public, I felt very optimistic about our state's future. Then I heard them speak. It was as if their bodies had been taken over by Pod People. They were nothing like the picture I had gotten of them during the campaign. The concession speeches were even worse. The candidates who had seemed so arrogant and pretentious now came across as humble and dignified.
What's worse, they were very good losers, downright gracious, in fact. Seeds of doubt began to take root in my mind. What if I had made the wrong decision? Some og the winners, on the other hand, had transformed into the blustery big talkers their opponents had appeared to be. What was it, a full moon? Or a scene from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," perhaps? I tried to remain calm. The winners were still high from victory and the thrill of election night. Those who had been defeated were humbled and perhaps a little embarrassed. Of course they weren't going to seem like themselves.
So I comforted myself with that thought. For a while. Just when I had managed to reassure myself, I had the rug pulled out from under me by one particular candidate. He hadn't been my first choice, but the guy I really wanted hadn't made it past the primary. Still, I felt pretty comfortable supporting him. So I was aghast at one of the comments he made during a press conference. When asked about a certain issue, he said k–can I please have a recount? he might support it. This just happened to be an issue I was completely opposed to.
It was then that I realized the magnitude of my stupidity. Good grief, I'd interviewd the man! Half an hour to quiz him on any subject I wanted–it was every voter's dream! But even with that, I still hadn't asked him the questions that would enable me to make an informed and responsible decision. I hadn't even thought to ask him about the one issue that meant the most to me. Had I taken leave of my senses? Had I learned nothing in journalism school? I just hoped that none of my former professors got wind of the huge blunder I'd made.
They might take away my degree, or revoke my Reporter's Credentials! They'd use me in their class lectures as an example of what not to do! But my very significant lapse in judgement didn't just affect me. Id had a job to do. I was supposed to inform the public, elp them make a wise choce. I suddenly realized I'd done nothing more than write a nice little fluff piece. Because of my ineptitude, voters all over Yukon had one less tool to help them make an intelligent decision at the polls, Egads! If the state crumbles before our very eyes, it could all be my fault,
As I struggle to come to terms with what I've done, I at least hope that my story will be of some comfort to fellow victims of Voter's Remorse. You may be regretting your decision right now, but trust me, your mistakes are nothing compared to the whopper I pulled. At least you can't blame yourself for playing a role in the state's downfall But wait a minute – all hope may not be lost. This is after all, a democracy, and we have safeguards to ensure that our country remains stable. So I just have one small favor to as