Carnegie Carnegie welcomes voters on Election Day; Veterans Day flag ceremony set
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Nov. 3 has loomed large on the American psyche for many months. This date might instill hope, anxiety, excitement, fear — or exhaustion. But, please, don’t be indifferent to Election Day. Only about 55% of eligible U.S. voters took advantage of their right to vote in 2016; this is not a cause for celebration.
I can’t boast of a perfect voting record. I was first eligible to vote in 1970 but did not exercise that right until the presidential election of 1972. I also missed a primary 23 years ago because I didn’t leave work on time. (Old habits die hard.) I felt so guilty. Since then, I always vote before going to work.
I am a bit of an activist who takes voting very seriously. However, this is the first year that I have not taken voting for granted. All the noise surrounding registration, mail-in ballots, drop boxes, long lines, eligibility, pandemic, fraud, intimidation, et cetera, has rattled me. That said, I don’t think I am alone in being more determined than ever to participate in the shaping of the “American Experiment.” Here’s to the percentage of American voters soaring in 2020!
We are certainly prepared for that at the Carnegie Carnegie. The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall is the polling place for Carnegie Borough’s 2nd Ward, Divisions 3 and 4. It is a lovely place to vote. We don’t know what the turnout will be; nor do we know what the weather will be. But staff are making every effort to ensure the Library & Music Hall is both safe and welcoming for voters, beginning when the polls open at 7 a.m.
Staff have concentrated on “traffic flow.” We ask that voters enter through the Music Hall and exit through the Library. We’ll have signage. The Music Hall lobby, and, if necessary, the Music Hall itself, will provide room for distancing and lines. Voters needing an elevator, please enter through the Studio entrance (between the Library and Music Hall entrances). There is ample parking.
In addition to poll workers, ACFL&MH staff will be on hand to make your voting experience both efficient and positive. I’ll be the tall woman welcoming you in the Music Hall lobby! To most safely accommodate voters, the Library will be closed on Election Day. (Apologies to patrons. We will be answering phones and providing curbside pickup on Nov. 3.) We expect heavy voter turnout and want to maintain physical distancing. The ACFL&MH will be all about voting Nov. 3.
A year ago, voters cast their ballots under the watchful eye of the 16th president in our lovely Lincoln Gallery. Many voters then stopped in the Library for coffee, cider, donut holes and maybe a library card — we can still sign you up for the latter, but it’s your voting that matters.
Libraries are civic organizations. As we developed Library Park, a flagpole opposite the Library entrance was an essential part of the design. Since November 2017, a Veterans Day ceremony has become a tradition at the Library & Music Hall.
This ceremony feels more necessary this year more than ever before. Due to covid, there will be no Veterans Day parade. Set politics aside to honor those who sacrificed so much for the democracy we are privileged to live under. Please join us at 1 p.m. Nov. 7 outside the Library entrance as we celebrate the military men and women who have served our country so well.
Sen. Pam Iovino, who represents Pennsylvania’s 37th Senatorial District, will serve as the emcee for this year’s ceremony. I am thrilled! There have myriad distractions, but 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in our country. Sen. Iovino’s participation is part of the ACFL&MH marking a milestone that resonates deeply with me on both professional and personal levels.
Sen. Iovino served in the Navy for 23 years, rising to the rank of captain. She retired from the Navy to serve as assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In that capacity, she acted as the department’s lead advocate on Capitol Hill for the nation’s 25 million veterans and their families.
The Carnegie Carnegie relies on Joe Iacona, past president of Carnegie’s Post 82 of the American Legion, to organize its Veterans Day program. Joe and his fellow veterans bring appropriate military protocols, lending great dignity to a short, but very meaningful, ceremony.
Please wear your masks and join us Nov. 7.
Maggie Forbes is the executive director of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie.