Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote

by Andrea Beaty

  They searched high and low for the vanishing vote.

  The ballot did not turn up. Finally, Miss Greer called off the search. They would put the election aside for a day. She asked Sofia to research what happens when there is a tie in other elections.

  After that, they turned to reading, spelling, and math, but Sofia couldn’t focus. She couldn’t stop thinking about the vanishing vote—and how she’d noticed that one person had sat reading a book while everyone else hunted for it.

  At last, it was recess. The class left the room and headed down the hall toward the playground. Sofia heard laughter and squeals of joy as her friends burst out the door and onto the playground. But with each step, her heart grew heavier and heavier. At last, she stepped onto the playground and stood with a sad look on her face as she watched one student swinging happily back and forth on the swings.

  “Oh, my friend,” she said quietly. “What have you done?”

  CHAPTER 20

  Sofia took a deep breath and walked to the swings.

  “Hi, Sofia!” said Iggy, jumping off the swing and landing next to her.

  “You shouldn’t have done it,” said Sofia.

  “It’s okay,” said Iggy.

  “No, it’s not!” said Sofia angrily.

  “I wasn’t swinging high when I jumped,” said Iggy. “I didn’t get hurt.”

  “Not that,” said Sofia. “I know you stole the vote!”

  Iggy was shocked. “I did not!” he said. “I’m not a thief. I didn’t steal the vote.”

  “Then why didn’t you help look for it with everyone else?” she asked. “I think you knew we wouldn’t find it because you already had it!”

  “That’s good detective work,” said Iggy. “But you’re wrong. I didn’t steal the vote.”

  Sofia looked at him suspiciously.

  “I didn’t steal the vote,” Iggy continued, “because there wasn’t a vote to steal!”

  “What?” asked Sofia. “Seventeen people went into the booth and voted.”

  “No,” said Iggy. “Seventeen people went into the booth, but only sixteen voted. I didn’t vote.”

  “Why not?” asked Sofia.

  “I like turtles and birds,” said Iggy. “They are both like architects. Turtles grow their own houses on their backs, and birds make houses from sticks. But more than that, I like Rosie and Ada. They’re both my friends, and I don’t want either of them to be upset. So I just let other people vote.”

  Sofia frowned. “Why didn’t you say something when we were looking for the ballot?” she asked.

  “I was going to . . .” said Iggy, “but everybody was mad about the vanishing vote, and I felt embarrassed. And I figured other people knew more about the pets anyway, because I wasn’t paying much attention during the debates. I was building a tiny igloo out of paper wads.”

  “Iggy!” said Sofia.

  “I know,” said Iggy. “But it was inspired by the turtle’s shell.”

  Sofia shook her head. “It’s everybody’s job to know what’s going on,” she said.

  “I know. I’m sorry about the ballot,” said Iggy. “But if it helps, I think you’re a good election commissioner, and I know you’ll figure out what to do.”

  CHAPTER 21

  On the walk home from school, Sofia kicked a small stick off the sidewalk. Pup fetched it and brought it back to her. Sofia scowled and threw the stick. Pup brought it back. This continued all the way home.

  “Iggy didn’t vote, Abuelo!” said Sofia. “Everybody should vote! It’s important.”

  “It is,” said Abuelo, “but a person doesn’t have to vote if they don’t want to. That’s a right, too. Iggy thought he was doing a good thing letting others decide.”

  “Not voting makes as big a difference as voting,” said Sofia. “Iggy thought he would let somebody else take care of it, but because he did that, we have a tie.”

  “People don’t think one vote makes a difference,” said Abuelo, “but it does. Every single one. If a person doesn’t vote, they give up their power to change things. Worse than that, they give that power to somebody else, who might not use it the way they want.”

  “It’s too late now,” said Sofia.

  Abuelo gave her a hug.

  After dinner, they went to the library to learn how election ties could be broken.

  “Hold the door, Sofia!” called a familiar voice.

  Sofia looked behind her. Bee was carrying a black duck. Beau followed her with a large lizard on a leash. Both animals wore Reading Buddy vests.

  “Meet our newest Reading Buddies!” said Bee. “Moby Duck.”

  QUACK!

  “And the Lizard of Oz,” said Beau. “We’re expanding our program. Wait until you meet Hamlet!”

  “He’s a pig,” said Bea. “But he loves books!”

  “Who doesn’t?” said Mr. Page. “How can I help you? You know there’s always help at the library!”

  Sofia told him about the election, and Mr. Page led her to a section of the library filled with books about elections.

  Sofia learned that each election’s rules depend on where the election is held. Some election ties lead to a whole new election. Sometimes, one official picks the winner. Sometimes they decide with a coin toss. One time, a whole state senate was tied, and one seat would decide which party had the power to make laws. The senate seat election was tied, too! The governor flipped a coin to decide who would win the seat and which party would control the state.

  “I bet a lot of people in that state wish they had voted,” said Mr. Page.

  Before Sofia could respond, Moby Duck waddled by.

  “That reminds me,” said Mr. Page, pulling a tiny book from his pocket. “What time do ducks wake up?”

  “I don’t know,” said Sofia.

  “At the quack of dawn!” said Mr. Page with a belly laugh. “Oh golly. That’s a good one.”

  He walked away chuckling.

  Sofia smiled weakly. She wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Even good ones. She stared at her notes and sighed. Her research had turned up a lot of information about tied elections. In the end, she had four ideas, but she didn’t know which the class would choose, and she wasn’t sure she liked any of them. As election commissioner, though, it was her job to help the class figure it out. She and Abuelo left the library and headed home.

  CHAPTER 22

  Sofia had thought all night about what she was going to say to the class. She didn’t want to tell them that Iggy didn’t vote. Voting was secret. So she figured that not voting should be secret, too.

  Toward the end of the school day, Miss Greer asked Sofia about the tiebreaker. Sofia presented what she’d learned about tied elections. Then, as election commissioner, she asked the other students what they wanted to do. Nobody wanted to call off the election. Only two students wanted to redo the entire election. Twelve liked the coin toss because they thought it was more exciting. Two people wanted Miss Greer to decide.

  “No,” said Miss Greer. “This election is yours to decide. Not mine.”

  In the end, the class agreed on the coin toss.

  Miss Greer handed Sofia a shiny quarter.

  “As election commissioner,” she said, “you should toss the coin.”

  Sofia took a deep breath.

  “Heads is Turtle,” she said. “Tails is Bird!”

  Sofia balanced the quarter on her thumbnail for a moment, then flicked as hard as she could. The coin twirled up, up, up into the air and then tumbled down, down, down into Sofia’s open palm. As soon as it hit her right palm, Sofia slapped the coin onto the back of her left hand. The class leaned forward. All eyes were on Sofia’s hands. Miss Greer held her breath.

  At last, Sofia pulled back her hand and revealed the coin.

  “Heads!” she said. “The class pet is a turtle!”

  Team Turtle cheered! Iggy cheered.

  “Rats!” said someone from Team Bird.

  “Congratulations, Ada,” said Rosie, holding out her ha
nd.

  “Thank you, Rosie!” said Ada.

  They shook hands. Soon, the class was talking about a good name for a turtle and how to raise money to buy one. They decided to name the new turtle after the author of Frankenstein. Her name was Mary Shelley. Everyone cheered.

  The bell rang. Sofia slowly packed her backpack and headed out of school, dreading the walk home. She knew she had to tell Marisella that Miss Greer’s class was getting a new pet.

  And it wasn’t going to be Pickles.

  CHAPTER 23

  Marisella was talking with Abuelo by the flagpole when Sofia, Rosie, Ada, and Iggy came out. She took one look at Sofia’s face and knew what had happened.

  “I’m sorry, Marisella,” said Sofia. “I voted for Bird, but Turtle won. Maybe Mateo is not allergic to birds and it will be okay.”

  Marisella’s eyes filled with tears. “He’s allergic,” she said.

  “Oh no!” said Sofia. “Can we keep Pickles, Abuelo?”

  “Oh, no, love,” said Abuelo. “Do you remember what happened when we kept him for a week last year?”

  Sofia and Abuelo had kept Pickles while Marisella’s family went on vacation. Pup didn’t stop barking for a week. Pickles was a nervous wreck when he got back to Marisella.

  “Pup and I will keep you company on your way home,” Abuelo said to Marisella, whose tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I’ll see you at home, Sofia.”

  Sofia nodded.

  Pup jumped onto Marisella’s lap and they headed down the sidewalk with Abuelo.

  “I didn’t know that Marisella’s pet bird might need a home,” said Iggy. “I would have voted for a bird if I had.”

  “I couldn’t tell you,” said Sofia.

  “What can we do to help?” asked Ada.

  The Questioneers walked and brainstormed as they went. They reached the steps of City Hall but had no ideas.

  “I feel so bad for Pickles and Marisella,” said Rosie. “I wish somebody could help.”

  Sofia nodded. Abuelo had said there was always a way to help, but what could they do?

  They sat there for a few minutes when suddenly Sofia looked at the building next to City Hall. It was the library. She jumped up.

  “That’s it!” said Sofia. “There’s always help at the library! I know what to do!”

  Sofia told them her plan. Each person had something to do to help. Rosie, Ada, and Iggy took off together. Sofia ran straight to the library, pulled open the massive door, and went inside.

  CHAPTER 24

  Sofia found help at the library. And it was speedy. Thirty minutes later, she met Iggy, Ada, and Rosie at Marisella’s house. Marisella was on the porch with Pickles.

  “We’re just playing together a little more,” said Marisella. “Mom is taking him to the pet store tomor—” Her voice cracked and she blinked back tears.

  “We’re sorry the class didn’t vote for a bird,” said Rosie.

  “Me too,” said Marisella. “But I understand.”

  “I think we all understand better now,” said Iggy.

  Sofia smiled at her friend. “We do,” she said.

  “I have to go pack up Pickles’s stuff,” said Marisella.

  “Wait!” said Sofia. “We have a surprise! Close your eyes.”

  Marisella closed her eyes, and the Questioneers got ready.

  “Okay!” they called. “Ta-daaa!”

  Marisella opened her eyes. She was stunned.

  “What?” she asked. “I don’t understand. How could—”

  “Sofia went to the library and asked,” said Iggy.

  “You mean—” started Marisella.

  “Yep!” said Sofia. “He can start as soon as you want. And you can visit anytime!”

  “Thank you!” said Marisella, admiring her beautiful new Reading Buddy.

  “Pretty bird!” squawked Pickles. “Meow! Woof!”

  “Smart bird,” said Sofia. “You’ll fit right in.”

  “I think he will!” said Marisella. “Thanks to you.”

  “Do you think the Reading Buddies could visit school, too?” asked Rosie. “They could help even more kids learn to read!”

  Sofia smiled. She loved how good ideas grew into more good ideas when people worked together. She also loved her friends, who were always ready to help.

  After a few minutes, Marisella went inside. Ada and Rosie walked down the sidewalk together, but Iggy stayed back a moment.

  “Thank you, Sofia,” he said. “You helped Marisella and everybody.”

  “We all helped,” said Sofia with a smile.

  Iggy smiled back. “I was wondering,” he said. “What do you think about a class mascot? We could have another election to vote on it!”

  Sofia smiled. “Like the Lions?” she asked. “Or the Bears?”

  “I was thinking something more like the Chrysler Buildings!”

  Sofia grinned. “Gets my vote.”

  The two friends parted ways. Sofia smiled as she thought about Marisella and her parrot and Iggy and his vote. Even though it hadn’t gone as she had imagined at the beginning, the process had worked. They still had to raise money for the class turtle, and there was lots to do. She thought about Miss Greer, who had been nervous about trying something new and electing a class pet. It really had been a Learning Experience.

  Sofia reached into her satchel and pulled out a cookie. She took a bite and smiled.

  Abuelo had been right, too. The election had been a Learning Experience. But, like this batch of cookies, it was a good one.

  I DON’T WANT TO VOTE!

  “ I don’t want to vote!” Jack said to Jill.

  “One vote doesn’t matter, and it never will.

  The Fat Cats get fatter. The powers that be

  don’t give a nickel for people like me.”

  Jill simply nodded a moment or two.

  “Yep,” she responded. “What can you do?”

  Election Day came. Jack stayed home in bed,

  and the Fat Cats got fatter, just like he’d said.

  Jill, however, showed up to vote,

  and her vote REALLY counted. It’s worth taking note.

  It turns out that Jill didn’t care about Jack

  or his healthcare or clean air

  or water or education or the arts

  or housing or justice

  or free and fair elections

  or the planet . . . or . . .

  . . . Well, it’s safe to say

  she cared about Jill, and she got her way.

  But it turns out—in one thing—Jack was quite right.

  His vote didn’t matter!

  Because he quit the fight.

  DELANO GRAPE STRIKE

  On September 7, 1965, farmworkers in Delano, California, began a strike against the grape growers. They were led by a man named Larry Itliong.

  The strikers were migrant workers, most of whom came from the Philippines. Two weeks later, the Mexican migrant workers joined the strike. They were led by Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez. The workers wanted contracts that would ensure better working conditions. The grape growers refused.

  The migrants toiled in terrible conditions from sunrise to sunset without rest. They had no toilets in the fields where they worked or cold water to drink as they labored beneath the burning sun. Their families were poor and lived in terrible conditions, often without good food for their families. For their hard work, they earned only about seventy cents per hour.

  The Filipino and Mexican workers joined forces to form a union called the United Farm Workers. The workers marched and protested. Dolores Huerta created a slogan to inspire them: Sí, Se Puede! It means “Yes, it can be done!”

  The strike was difficult and dangerous. Workers were sometimes met with violence from local authorities or arrested. Even so, they used nonviolent resistance and community organizing to tell people about their cause. The strike lasted for years, but the grape growers would not agree to contracts for the workers.

  The
strike organizers and workers came up with a new idea. They called for a boycott. They asked people around the country to stop buying and eating grapes unless they were picked by union workers. Over seventeen million people listened and stopped buying grapes. Finally, in July 1970, the grape growers agreed to contracts, and the strike ended. The strike revolutionized the farm labor movement in America.

  PICKING A PRESIDENT

  It takes a long time to elect an American president. Candidates spend months or even years trying to build support and raise money. Candidates come from many different backgrounds and various careers, but most have been elected to a state or national office before becoming president. They are usually members of a political party.

  The United States has two main political parties: Democratic and Republican. There are other smaller parties that are known as third parties. An Independent candidate is one who is not bound by or committed to a political party.

  Only one person can be president. However, many people will want to try. Each presidential election starts with many candidates trying to become the favorite of their political party. Candidates crisscross the country to show that they care about the local people. They hold rallies. They seek attention from the media. They participate in televised debates with their fellow candidates to discuss important issues and clarify their positions. They also spend a lot of time asking for money, because elections are very expensive.

  Candidates hire people to help them. Also, supporters volunteer to help. Campaign staff and volunteers try to get people excited about their candidate, register voters, and help people get to their voting place.

  Each political party picks its candidate through a set of statewide elections. For their elections, each state uses one of two systems: primaries and caucuses.

  • Primary: Party members go to a polling place and vote for their candidate.

  • Caucus: Party members meet locally to discuss and vote and discuss and vote and repeat the process until they decide on the candidate they want.