Letter to the Editor: Dunwell was using poor judgment

Reading the reporting of candidate Jon Dunwell visiting election sites on Election Day leaves me wanting to ask Mr. Dunwell, “What the heck were you thinking?”

This entire election cycle has been tainted with all sorts of accusations, true or false, of election misconduct and cheating and whatever conspiracy one chooses to get on board with, and candidate Jon Dunwell sees nothing wrong with going to polling places and actually talking to those standing in line? Are you kidding me?

The excuse Dunwell gives, or should I say the justification he gives for this poorly thought-out action is that he wasn’t “campaigning,” he just wanted to see for himself how the turnout was and was merely discussing things like “the weather and rain,” so he can’t be accused of anything inappropriate. Yeah, right.

Did other candidates visit polling places and talk to voters on Election Day? I didn’t think so. They knew how it would look and wisely stayed away.

Also, Dunwell tries to convince us that since he didn’t introduce himself as a candidate, voters probably didn’t know who he was.

That is laughable, and Dunwell knows it. Did candidate Dunwell actually think that in Newton and Jasper County, where his face is very well known, where he has been very active in the community and has made it a point to make everyone aware of who he is, that he could strike up conversations with the voters and they would not know who he is? I don’t think so. Seems that Mr. Dunwell doesn’t think much of Jasper County voters if he really believes that.

No, visiting election sites and interacting with voters was an extremely poor judgment call by candidate Dunwell, and for him to act all indignant and start blaming Democrats for “harassing” him just shows how woefully unqualified he is to be in any elected office.

Please, Mr. Dunwell, give the voters more credit than that. And take responsibility for your own poor judgement.

Sheesh! Politicians, right?

John Moore

Newton