The “I voted” sticker I wore on my chest yesterday made me a rare citizen.  Hardly anyone else was to be seen at the school auditorium assigned to residents of my ward and precinct. Only a half dozen or so workers occupied the hall; outside that space sat a Cambridge policeman who looked on the verge of falling asleep.

Such was this primary election, one in which only a handful of candidates were competing..  Some were not competing at all because they had no opposition from their own party or from anyone else.

What struck me as most strange about this election was the presence of Ed Markey’s name on the ballot.  He has been a member of the House of Representatives in Washington for many terms and ranks high among the leaders of that body. I identify with his political viewpoint and am glad he is continuing in his current role.

Markey was on our ballot because of redistricting.  That means the Massachusetts Senate chose to add my part of Cambridge to his congressional district.  It also means we have lost our several term congressman Mike Capuano, the former mayor of Somerville.  I liked Mike and would have wanted to continue having him as our national rep. As already indicated I also like Ed Markey and do not object to a future with him as my advocate in Washington.

For the few who showed up yesterday, it may have not been a shock to see Markey’s name. (incidentally, he had no oppostion.) Many of them, if not most, were probably political junkies like me, citizens well informed enough to know about our redistricting.  But I dare say that when the presidential election comes up in November, the average voting citizen will be surprised to see Capuano’s name gone and Markey’s in its place.

I have trouble believing in democracy delivered this way.  To my knowledge, no one of us was consulted last year when members of the Massachusetts legislature took upon themselves our expulsion from the congressional district in which we have long resided.  Only our part of Cambridge was joined to Markey; the rest stayed with Capuano. And, so far as I know, Markey never made an appearance in his newly acquired area.

As I recall, some leaders in my city objected to the splitting of the city.  They considered it an affront to our urban unity and considered weak the announced rational of the move.

For me, it raises questions about how our democracy works.  How are citizen rights respected when we suddenly find one of our veteran representatives in Congress losing our portion of the city and another imposed on us?

Admittedly, my position can seem less strong since I admit identifying with the political approach of my new rep.  However, the principle of the thing still counts in my political world.