WYNOT, Iraq, Sept. 15, 2004 — Ahmed Mutlok Oda creases his ballot slowly, seemingly worried he will fold it wrong. He starts to place it in the cardboard-and-tape ballot box, then pulls it back, unsure if he’s doing it right.

He looks to an interpreter for the 1st Infantry Division, who tells Oda he’s doing it correctly. Reassured, Oda drops the ballot in.

If Oda seems unnecessarily timid, consider that no one in Wynot has ever voted before. Oda has no predecessor, no way to know if he’s doing it right.

After Oda, another 145 voters came through, representing almost every household in this tiny village about 15 miles outside of Tikrit. The Wynot City Council elections of Sept. 13 came after months of work and planning by soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

The strong turnout completed a turnaround in how Wynot residents view the U.S., according to the company commander, U.S. Army Capt. David Krzycki.

“This was probably the most anti-coalition town in sector when we first got here,” he said. “Kids and adults were throwing rocks at us and calling us names. But we established a knock-and-talk program, where we’d go to six to eight houses per night. We’d ask people what they needed and what they thought of us. Eventually they realized we’re here to make their way of life a little bit better.”

Krzycki credited 2Lt. Scott Robinson and Sgt. 1st Class Todd Carlsrud with helping to spearhead the election effort. Robinson cited perseverance as the key to bringing democracy to Wynot.

“We…had meetings once a week and explained what we are trying to do and why having a city council would be good,” Robinson said. “Initially they weren’t too favorable, but we explained that with a city council, you could solve your own problems.”

Building up to the elections, soldiers encouraged teamwork among the Wynot residents and urged them to set goals. One week, for instance, they encouraged everyone to clean their front yards so the residents could see the benefits of working together.

All voters were male, but such decisions were left up to the Iraqis, according to 1Lt. Matthew Angliss, a fire support officer. “We didn’t want to impose an American style of democracy on them,” he said. “We let them decide how to run it.”

The evening had a few quirks that might be expected for a town’s first election. Just as the sun set, the electricity went

out. But the soldiers weren’t about to be deterred. Flashlights and Humvee headlights were used to provide the illumination necessary to continue Wynot’s foray into democracy.

Later, persons from another town attempted to vote, but they were pointed out by Wynot residents. Few of those residents have identification cards, so company officers relied on common sense and honesty to determine if a would-be voter was 18.

Prior to helping run the Wynot elections, Alpha 1-18 soldiers had helped bring city council elections to the nearby town of Owja. Krzycki thinks success there helped bring around Wynot residents.

“In Owja, people are happy because they get police patrols through town and they coordinated and funded a city cleanup program,” Krzycki said. “And people here can see the effects city councils are having.”

Wynot residents elected new leaders to seven positions: director, vice director, city manager, and directors of agriculture, education, transportation, and utilities. Krzycki said the company will help the city council in its nebulous stage, but the long-term goal is for the council to be self-sufficient.

And Oda has no doubt that it will be. “It feels good to vote,” he said. “A city council will help our community.”