Tuesday, November 04, 2008

I Voted - Did You?!

I went this morning to cast my vote, and was shocked at how painless the whole process was. I had lofty aspirations of getting up at 4:30 and showering before I went, but that didn't happen, so I dragged myself there with my hair pulled into a haphazard ponytail around 5:45.

When I got there, the line was already about 2 blocks long, and I had that initial moment of thinking “do I really want to do this?” Very quickly, I realized the answer was yes. As I was making my way to the end of the line, a young guy in his early 20s named Matt started talking to me, and we were joined soon after by Melissa, a girl in her mid-twenties – both government employees.

The overall mood was upbeat, and you can tell that everyone was there because they wanted to be. You didn’t hear any of that typical line-waiting complaining – but mostly because the line moved very quickly.

I was so impressed with the staff working my location (Patrick Henry School on S. Highland) – they kept things moving, were very friendly, and that made the experience that much more enjoyable. Within an hour and 15 minutes, I was done and on my way home – feeling a sense of pride for having taken part in such a historic election.

Tonight, it’s over to the Pub with Pita and Professor to watch the votes come in. Regardless of the outcome, I think America will be a better place tomorrow, because everyone seems to have taken a more active role in this year’s election – and that’s what democracy is all about.

So if you haven’t taken the time to vote yet – please do.

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