by Alia
November, 2002: It has been an interesting month. Exciting, exhausting, and amazing.
Back in July, I agreed to be a “line holder” for the Libertarian Party in a county race. Specifically, I was the only opponent to the incumbent for the county clerk and recorder’s race. The philosophy of line holding is that with lots of Libertarians on the ballot, the voter will become more used to seeing Libertarians on the ballot, and perhaps we won’t seem as Odd. For me, Libertarianism is quite compatible with my faith; both the party and my religion call for personal rights and personal responsibility, so it was an easy combination for me..
Two weeks before the election, the county commissioners published a damning report about the incumbent and requested that he resign. Suddenly, I had a very viable race to run. The two communities were incredible. Pagans and Libertarians rallied behind me, giving me support, time, word of mouth coverage, and even money. In short order I had yard signs, newspaper endorsements, buttons, stickers, and a huge trailer being driven around Arapahoe County.
One of the reporters, Frank Bell of the Aurora Sentinel, did his homework. He found an old web page of mine where I talked about being Wiccan. This intrigued him and he wrote about me, my hopes for the office, and my religion in the same issue of the Sentinel that endorsed my candidacy. The Denver Post picked up on my religion, found that a good hook, and a few days after endorsing me, on the Sunday before the election, wrote a follow up story that also focused on my being a "self-proclaimed" witch.
That article caught the attention of Channel 2, which interviewed me that same day. I had virtually no voice, but I had a tiny fit and told them not to call me self-proclaimed, which eventually led to the teaser on the news that night of, "She’s a witch who’s hoping to create some magic at the polls." This was much preferable in my estimation without the "self-proclaimed" label on there. When the reporter asked me about my religion and the office, I made the comment that I hadn’t analyzed how many of the Ten Commandments my opponent had broken, and observed that at least I followed the tenets of my religion.
While my religion was apparently a fascinating hook, the reporters all also talked about my computer background and educational qualifications. My personal opinion is that the interest in my being "some oddball that thinks she’s a witch," (courtesy Mike Rosen) improved my exposure and contributed to my success. Mike Rosen also read several letters from the Pagan community objecting to his problems with me, which he prefaced by saying, “I hope I don’t get turned into a frog before the end of my show today.”
While I didn’t win the election, I did gain about 38% of the vote. That’s a first for a third party candidate in a two-way race in Colorado. I count that as a victory. And now, for better or worse, I am a Very Public Witch. I can’t help but think that this is a good thing too. The more those of us who can afford to be public are public, the more accepted our religion will become.
Oh, and Mr. Rosen? I will not turn you into a toad. 1) It would be unethical, and 2) it would be redundant.
Blessed Be.
—Alia
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