As a freshman in college, I somehow won a seat in our student assembly — by one vote — against a man named Love.

I’m convinced it was due to being part of a coalition, yet each person who voted for me determined the outcome. That experience taught me that in smaller communities and organizations, whether a university or an island like ours, individual participation doesn’t just count; it can be the deciding factor.

It’s extremely rare for ordinary voters to determine the outcome of a major election. In national races, margins of fewer than 100,000 votes are often considered “close,” and at the state level, gaps of just a few thousand can trigger recounts or legal challenges. There are a few examples — for instance, a 2002 Washington State House GOP primary was won by one vote out of over

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