The midterm election is officially behind us, and I know I鈥檓 not the only one who鈥檚 relieved that my nightly TV viewing is no longer soured with smear campaigns and vicious political advertisements. (The holiday shopping ads that took their place are also stress-inducing, but at least the background music is catchier.)
Throughout this election season, we鈥檝e heard concerns about 鈥渢hreats to our democracy.鈥� We鈥檝e heard people declare the two-party system isn鈥檛 working anymore. On a state level, we鈥檝e seen frustration over Ohio鈥檚 gerrymandered districts.
But instead of focusing on those concerns today, I鈥檇 like to reflect on an experience that gives me hope for our democracy.
For the past few months, I鈥檝e been covering , a charter amendment that will create a civilian police oversight board. The goal of the board is to increase citizens鈥� input in the Akron Police Department鈥檚 policies and procedures.
While residents and city leaders have called for a police review board for many years, efforts to actually create one were reignited this summer after , a Black man who was unarmed when he died. The county medical examiner said Walker was . State officials are investigating the incident.
Walker鈥檚 death rocked the Akron community, and many people protested in the streets and called for police reforms like a review board.
About a month after some of those protests died down, I called a few people to see if they had any updates about a review board. I鈥檇 assumed city council might introduce legislation for one.
But, to my surprise, I learned that city council wasn't working to get one passed right at that moment 鈥� citizens were.
Members of some activist groups, including Freedom BLOC and the local chapter of the NAACP, on a petition to put a review board issue before voters in November.
It was a charter amendment 鈥� meaning if voters approved the oversight board, it would be codified in the city鈥檚 constitution.
As Akron NAACP President Judi Hill told me in one of our many conversations about the board, this could be a permanent solution.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to talk about promises anymore. I鈥檝e been made promises, and I now am moving toward solution-building, and I see this as a solution for our community,鈥� Hill said.
The initiative needed about 2,700 valid signatures to be automatically placed on the ballot. As it turned out, citizens collected more than 7,000 signatures.
, and on Tuesday, it . Voters approved it by 62% to 38%, a 2-to-1 margin.
Now, I鈥檓 not taking a stance on the ballot issue or the board, and I'm certainly not writing this to try to influence your opinion. There are many differing opinions and you can find them represented in all of my previous stories.
But as I reflect on the past few months of reporting, I can鈥檛 help but feel like I witnessed democracy in action.
First, citizens saw a need: improving relations between the community and police after a fatal police shooting.
Then, they came up with a possible solution: a citizen oversight board to monitor complaints against police.
Citizens then took action: gathering thousands of signatures to put their solution on the ballot.
And on Election Day, citizens exercised their right to vote.
鈥淭his is the power of democracy at its best,鈥� the NAACP's Hill told me.
If you鈥檝e got concerns about what鈥檚 going on in our state or nation, or you鈥檙e feeling frustrated about threats to our democracy, I鈥檓 not here to dismiss your concerns.
But I encourage you to take a glimpse at what鈥檚 happening in Akron. It might just restore some of your faith.
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