"DO GENEALOGISTS VOTE?" by Michael John Neill ================================================== I was recently given a handbill by a candidate running for a county courthouse office. The small card indicated that, among other things, "geneology" [sic.] was a "service" the office provided. This service would continue under the candidate's administration. The acknowledgement of genealogists was encouraging. The misspelling, while not surprising, deflated my excitement. Personally, if you're going to appeal to a group of potential voters, at least spell their name correctly. However, it was definitely a step in the right direction, and one more indication that non-genealogists are aware of the surge of interest in family history. November will soon be here, and with it Election Day. Have you even given a thought to the individuals who are running for those local offices that set access policies for public records? You can't vote in every county where you have ancestors, but you most certainly can vote in those local elections where you live. Some politicians encourage the dead to vote, but it's probably best not to try to vote in those counties where you have ancestral ties. That said, there are many circuit clerk, county recorder, and other "courthouse official" jobs on the election slate this year. These officials frequently set or significantly influence the ways in which genealogists can access records. Have you tried to find out the candidate's views on records access? Does the candidate even know how records in her office (or the office she hopes to get) are created and preserved? Does the candidate have any thoughts about public access to these records? Does he even know where the early records are kept (knowing how to search them is another matter entirely)? Have we thought to ask the candidate for county recorder what she plans to recommend in response to the lack of space in her office? Have we thought to ask how the old records will be impacted by this lack of space? Are responsible preservation techniques being pursued in a fiscally and archivally responsible fashion? Records access can vary greatly from one county to another, and in many areas the implementation of policy is left to the clerk and his assistants. I've been in county offices where the clerk and her staff would get the "genealogist friendly" seal of approval. I've been in offices where it seemed like they should have had a pedigree chart on the front door with the word "NO" emblazoned across it. And I've seen every shade in between. However, these are questions better answered sooner rather than later. Consider having the candidates come to your genealogical society meeting for a question-and-answer session. You might find that there are legitimate reasons why access to some records is restricted or why staff hours have been cut back. You may find that the candidate does not understand genealogists' or family historians' needs and makes decisions accordingly. You may find the candidate willing to work with genealogists as best he can, given his duties involving current record keeping and "present-day" activities. Current business, when combined with budget constraints, space difficulties, and other factors, may create difficulties for genealogists. You may get answers you really do not want to hear. The candidate may not consider genealogists a large enough group to worry about. Keep in mind that a candidate from "that other party" may be a bit more friendly to family historians than the candidate from "your party." I'm not suggesting genealogists form their own political party, although instead of "Four More Years" a potential slogan could be "Four More Forebears." Some say those who are passive and fail to act have no room to complain about the results. We can always complain--it just may not do much good. I remember a few years ago seeing a bumper sticker that said, "I smoke and I vote." Maybe we should develop a parallel: "I dig roots and I vote." ___________________________________________________________________ Michael John Neill, is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael is the Web columnist for the "FGS FORUM" and is on the editorial board of the "Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly." He conducts seminars and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes to several genealogical publications, including "Ancestry" Magazine and "Genealogical Computing." You can e-mail him at mailto:[email protected] or visit his Web site at http://www.rootdig.com/. SOURCE: "The Daily News" (http://www.ancestry.com/dailynews/), for the week ending 23 September 2000 If you are interested, subscribe to this newsletter, visit http://www.ancestry.com and type your e-mail address in the box provided, or send an e-mail message to: mailto:[email protected] with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. For those of you subscribed to The Daily News from Ancestry, please excuse the duplication, but I thought this was such a good article I had to share it with our Chickasaw Co List. -Jannette List Administrator & Webmaster Chickasaw Co IA