The whole (election) world in my hands

I've been reflecting lately on the most unsual election night I've ever
covered. Tuesday night, July 20, began like most of the 30+ election nights I've been
involved with as a reporter - but before the night was over, I held the whole (election) world in my hands - and didn't even realize until the moment had passed.

A couple of things were different at the outset and were not unplanned: I
was stationed at Hall County Director of Elections Anne Phillips' office
where the tallies were to be posted, instead of at the radio station, and, this time around, because of new technology, we would be getting only what we call "running totals" - not the precinct-by-precinct numbers we've been used to over the years.

Things started quietly as they usually do on election night because it's usually a few minutes before the first returns are posted. But, soon it became obvious there was a problem. Returns were arriving, but we were not seeing any numbers. It was not until around 9:30 that I was able to report
any returns. By then, all but two boxes were included and the outcome of every contested local race was settled. That was a first: never before had one report told every candidate the outcome of their race. And, I really didn't realize what I had just done until I had finished.

Candidates all over the county had been waiting since 7:00 for an inkling of
how they were doing.

Usually, for several of the races at least, election night is one of ups-and-downs, a roller coaster ride as the tension builds throughout the evening - leading to one
final report, usually late in the night, that puts this candidate or that one over the top in those races that have not already been decided. I can only imagine what a
frustrating night it was for the candidates who were listening to our broadcast.

And, there I was - the messenger of doom (to some) and of glee (to others). I can't
image what it must have been like at one election night gathering and another to finally hear that some numbers were finally coming in, and to know that that in all probability they would know in one fell swoop whether they had won or lost.

After I had delivered the report, it hit me that I, with that one report, had just crushed the hopes and dreams several candiates had had for several months, while putting an exclamation point on a long campaign for others.

And, then, I had a sinking thought: What if we had some of the numbers reversed?

My assistant, Jenny Lathem, a University of Georgia student, who has been interning with us this summer, and I had recorded the numbers rather quickly and I quickly turned around and put them on the air. But, what if the celebrating that was going on at the Oliver, Powell, and Rogers camps - and elsewhere - was for naught, and I had to come back and tell any one of those candidtes or any of the other winners they had actually lost?

My heart rate increased, my palms got sweaty.

"Jenny," I said, "we've got to carefully double-check these numbers."

And, we did.

And, thank goodness - for me and for those candidates who were celebrating - we had
been right.

The night was no less frustrating to elections director Anne Phillips, who,
like the rest of us, wanted things to go smoothly, this being the first big test of the new system. Alas, it was not to be.

We learned the next day that a computer program that was supposed to move the data from one computer to another had been accidentally erased in the early going by a technician from the company who makes the hardware who was in town to assist election office workers.

Thanks to him it was an election night that was historical in more ways than one.

Ken Stanford is the longtime news director at WDUN NEWS TALK 550, AM 1240 WGGA, and MAJIC 1029 and is News Editor for accessnorthga.com