A Bit of Wine with your Voting History

Tuesday, April 26th was Primary day in Pennsylvania. Alas, I was not among the voters, as I refuse to register for a party... So, I did what I could do, which was to organize a wine tasting around voting. Why could women vote in New Jersey in the late-18th century? Who invented the Votomatic Voting Maching? And, just as importantly, what wines go with these historical truths, voting regulations, and fun facts? Learn the answers to these questions, and more, with an all-American line up of wines. Pick up these (or similar) wines and follow along!

New Jersey — bastion of women’s suffrage?

Women were never allowed to vote until granted such right by the 20th Amendment, right? Mostly, but not exactly. The truth is, the history of voting rights in Colonial America and in the fledgling nation were a bit more complex, adapting to some of the practical realities of hardship from pioneering, frontier living, and contemporary healthcare.

For example, Lydia Taft of the Massachusetts colony is considered to have been the first woman to cast a vote in an election — in 1756. Her oldest son and husband had died right before a major town-vote on whether to help fund the French and Indian War. The Tafts were an important family with significant wealth, which led the townsman to accept Lydia Taft’s vote (read here). Had her husband been alive, of course, it would have been moot as he would have had any vote; married woman had fewer rights than single woman, as theirs were completely subsumed by the rights of their husbands.

In the New Jersey case, it is unclear whether the legislature intentionally gave women (unmarried or widowed, only) the right to vote when, responding to the rights of States laid out in the Declaration of Independence, they granted voting rights to “all inhabitants” who met their other set criteria. Did they really mean “all”? or just those who had previously been granted de facto voting rights? Regardless, the right of women (if maid or widow!) and of blacks (male and female) to vote was validated several times between 1776 and 1802. This wording of “all” was largely called into question after John Condict nearly lost a close vote in which his opponent, William Crane, was supported by large numbers of women voters, and again in 1807 when large-scale voter fraud accompanied an election in Essex County. The result of legislative action following those incidents — and the prevailing balance of power within the legislature — was a major restriction of the right to vote to free, white males (see Klinghofer and Elkis 1992).

About 60 miles west of Essex County is Alba Vineyard. This part of far-western New Jersey borders the Delaware River and Pennsylvania, where it comprises part of the Warren Hills AVA. The winery was founded in 1980, and purchased by its current owners, Tom and Pam Sharko, in 2000. And, speaking of voting, Alba was voted New Jersey Winery of the Year in 2013 by the New Jersey Wine Growers Association.

Alba’s Chelsea Dry Rosé 2015 from winemaker John Altmaier is made with 100% sustainably-grown chambourcin. The wine was aged for 6 months, sur lie, in stainless steel before the 420 cases were bottled. The wine is clean and elegant, with a textural complexity likely derived from that sur lie treatment. The fruits are raspberries and tart cherries, and the chambourcin imparts a bit of pepper.

New York — birthplace of women’s suffrage?

Following New Jersey’s “reinterpretation” of their voting rights, free, white, (often) Protestant men were the dominant, legal vote-holders across the United States. Women were not legally allowed to vote again — in any state — until 1869. Yes, it took 62 years until Wyoming granted single women (no rights to the married!) the right to vote. The intervening decades saw the launch of the women’s suffrage movement in New York. A convention for women’s rights was held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, at the northern end of Cayuga Lake. Women’s suffrage was a contentious addition to the convention’s final “Declaration of Sentiments”, whose inclusion was supported by Frederick Douglas — but not by one of the most well-known advocates for women’s rights, Lucretia Mott.

Douglas and Mott, like the majority of those behind women’s suffrage, were abolitionists; so too were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, women who came to be strongly associated with women’s right to vote. Not all abolitionists were behind women’s suffrage, however, and rifts opened within the general, civil right’s movement between groups supportive of suffrage for all, and those who believed the inclusion of women’s voting rights would make it more difficult for black men to win their right to vote. This was probably true, as black men were granted voting rights — on paper, anyway — in 1870 with the passage of the 15th amendment. It wasn’t until 50 years later that the 19th amendment was passed, which prohibited voting exclusion by sex. Ironically, neither Anthony nor Stanton lived to reap the amendment’s benefits. When Stanton and Anthony died in 1902 and 1906, respectively, only 4 states allowed (single) women to vote. New York, in whose borders the women’s suffrage movement began in earnest and in which state both women lived, did allow women the vote prior to passage of the 19th amendment — but only by a few years, in 1917.

At the southern end of Cayuga Lake are vineyards first planted in 1999 by Kim Engle & Debra Berminghamfrom owners of Bloomer Creek Vineyard. Bloomer Creek Chardonnay Pet-Nat, Finger Lakes 2012 
is made with 100% Chardonnay from 15 year old vines. The grapes are hand harvested, and yeast is wild. The wine is fermented in oak before bottling. The Chardonnay is made “pet-nat” style, pétillant naturel, which refers to the light sparkle that occurs as a result of bottling the wine before fermentation has been completed (and without filtering or fining). This ancient method of wine making is enjoying a resurgence, along with the “natural” wine movement, in general, and perhaps also a return to “older” methods of production. The resulting wine is earthy and robust, with “sour”, cider notes, lots of lemon (zest and curd), pear, and apple.

Washington — bastion of weird primaries

What does Washington have to do with voting and election history? George Washington? He was our first, elected President. Booker T. Washington? He advocated for economic prosperity and educational development as means to counter suffrage disenfranchisement in the South. But, neither of those gentlemen are the focus of this essay. Instead, we go to Washington state.

Why? Well, in a world full of weird history, regulations, and traditions of presidential primaries and caucusing, Washington stands out. As in most states, the Republican and Democratic parties maintain differing rules for selecting presidential candidates. But in Washington state, they are completely different — this year. 100% of Republican delegates will be selected through the Primary, while 100% of Democratic delegates will be apportioned by caucusing (excluding, of course, the unbound “super-delegates”). For the Republican’s, the apportioned delegates are bound to results that won’t be known until late May — though a caucus to select those delegates was held in April. This all stands in contrast to the last presidential election-cycle, in which both Republicans and Democrats apportioned 100% of their delegates through caucusing.

So, what gives?

Well, three things are relevant here: Pat Robertson, contended party-policies for delegate selections, and shifting balances of political power in the state.

Up until 1988, Washington State didn’t have a primary. But, after Pat Robertson won the Republican caucus, a citizen-led initiative resulted in its institution — sometimes. The legislature has the power to giveth, and the power to taketh away. While the creation of a primary was passed in 1989 — largely by Republicans running the state, it was cancelled in 1992, 2004, and 2012 — largely by Democrats running the state. It’s a wonder the Democratic party didn’t also revisit the sense in holding larger-scale primaries as a means to overcome outcomes skewed by small- but vocal- groups of supporters; Bill Clinton came 4th (after “uncommitted”) in 1992’s Democratic caucusing.

Nonetheless, because party practices for elections are contended, their rules can change frequently and result in seemingly arbitrary processes.

Power to the (party-supporting) people.

Treveri Cellars is an all-sparkling producer in Washington’s Yakima Valley; they source their grapes from within the Columbia Valley. Juergen Grieb heads the project, along with his wife Julie. Juergen comes from Trier, the anchor of the Germany’s Upper Mosel wine region. Trier has a history as one of Germany’s oldest cities: Treuorum of the Celts, and Treverum (of the Treveri people) under Roman rule. In voting news, the Medieval archbishop-elector of Trier formed one of the seven members of the electoral college charged with selecting the Holy Roman Emperor. Surely that never caused any controversy…

Treveri Sparkling Rosé NV is made in the méthode champenoise, from Chardonnay and Syrah grapes sourced from the Yakima Valley. The bubbles are perfect — medium-sized and persistent. The Syrah adds some savory-ness to the wine, which is a great balance to the raspberry/rose/pear base.

Going Postal in Oregon

The good people of Oregon now only hold all-postal elections. What does this mean? The government mails a ballot to every eligible voter, for each election held. The voter may then mail back the ballot, or place it in a special ballot-box that is, in fact, a re-purposed USPS mailbox. There is no voting machine. The upside, according to supporters, is cheaper elections to which greater number of people have access. After all, one need only put a piece of paper in the mail. The downside, according to detractors, is a lack of interpersonal interaction at the polling place; people don’t feel a sense of camaraderie or civic participation.

Oregon had held some postal-elections — but while still maintaining traditional polling-places — since 1981. But, in 1998, ballot initiative 60 made voting by mail (or by the special, ballot boxes) the only method to vote. The move was backed by then-governor Kitzhaber, as well as the citizenry — as witnessed by the success of the initiative — but obviously not everyone was behind the change. One detractor is of particular interest. Bill Sizemore is a well-known (anti)tax activist; he advocates for lower taxes, fewer taxes, and reduced tax-revenue spending. While there is nothing wrong with this platform, Mr. Sizemore’s methods of tax-payer compliance are, well, suspect. Nonetheless, Mr. Sizemore has run for Governor on two occasions. The first occasion was in 1998 — the same year as ballot initiative 60; he won the Republican primary, and lost the general election after of some of his shady business-practices were made public. Notably, he was later found liable for racketeering and money laundering in two organizations that he controlled. Then he had the cheek to run for governor again in 2010, but that time his bid failed when he was arrested for tax evasion.

One way to reduce taxes, legally, is to limit taxable assets, like land. And buildings. How might a winemaker go about doing that? By sourcing grapes, of course, and keeping production small — a la micro-negociant or garagiste wine-making. André Hueston Mack is an Oregonian winemaker who does just that. Mr. Mack cut his chops on great wine as a sommelier in California and New York, before deciding to make his own wine under the Mouton Noir label starting in 2007. But, he didn’t feel the need to re-invent(grow)the wheel and instead finds really good grapes that others grow.

A case in point is Pinot Noir. Mack makes his Mouton Noir O.P.P. (Other People’s Pinot) Willamette Valley 2014 from Pinot Noir grapes sourced entirely from other people’s vineyards in the Willamette Valley. What’s so great about that? Pinot Noir absolutely thrives there, but land parcels — especially well-draining ones that catch the sun — are less easy to come by. The result of Mack’s sourcing is a reasonably-priced, well-crafted wine. It definitely bears the tart and earthy signature of Willamette, but with some softer, riper cherry notes.

California — not exactly responsible for the “hanging chad”

The world has never been the same since the 2000 US presidential election gave us Palm Beach County’s butterfly ballot… and the “hanging chad”. The so-called “hanging chad” is the term used to describe the state of an incompletely-made hole in a paper ballot of the type used in many electronic voting machines, such that the “chad” (the perforated round that “fills” the hole) remains partially attached to the ballot. It was claimed by many that “hanging chads” prevented some of the ballots from being counted (along with other problems, like “dimpled chads”). Of course, the real issue was not the hanging chad — it had been around in elections as long as had that type of voting machine. Instead, the real problem was the very, very close vote-count. Bush won Florida by just 547 votes (after recount) out of almost 6 million votes cast. Had the difference not been within the recount limit, and not within the statistical error of the vote, the chads could have fallen where they may.

But, Florida was very close, and the result of the national election would depend on its winner. So, the chad, the butterfly ballot, and the machine, itself, were all singled out for concern.

Prior to the 2000 election, the Votomatic Voting Machine had performed its duties in many, many elections (though not without controversy). Joseph Harris was a professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley when he had an idea to create a voting machine with improved, automated counting based on IBM’s computer punch-card system. He turned to fellow Berkeley-professor William Rouverol, a mechanical engineer, to design the prototype. The successful machine was patented in 1965.

Harris died well before the 2000 elections, but Rouverol is still alive. After the fiasco, Rouverol would point out that he and Harris never approved of the “butterfly ballot” for use with their machine, and that the original had mounted lighting — that was not in use on the Florida machines — which help people see whether their chads were hanging or not.

Just down the road from Berkeley, in the East Bay,is the de-commissioned Alameda Naval Air Base and Rock Wall Wine Company. Kent Rosenblum sold his eponymous winery in 2008, and opened Rock Wall with his daughter, Shauna, as winemaker. This is an all-urban affair, as the grapes are all sourced .

Rock Wall “Rock Hound” California 2014 is made from Syrah, Grenache, and Sangiovese, sourced from Solano & Contra Costa counties. The varietals were fermented separately before blending, and the wine was aged in oak. The resulting wine is big, bold, and rich. Its berries are ripe and dark (black cherry, blackberry), and there are savory tobacco and herb notes. Definitely a wine to help one relax after a day spent discussing chads.