I didn't vote in the 2000 election. I was only 17.
I didn't vote in the 2004 election. I forgot to register.
This morning I woke up at 5:30, got myself together, and walked across the street to the polling place. There was already a line. I felt no sense of inner conflict as I shuffled through the dry and dusty corridors of the basement towards the booths. I grew up in a Republican household, a conservative by association, but since then I have seen the destruction the Bush administration's policies have wrought. For me there was only choice that was not only logical, but that I could be proud of. My vote went to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Regardless of who you favor for the next president of the United States, it cannot be denied that this will be a truly historic election. (For some reason I always hear Tom Brokaw's voice in my head when ever I refer to something as "truly historic.") From the diversity of the candidates to the tough choices that lay ahead for whoever comes out victorious, there has never been an election quite like this one before.
If you are registered to vote, I urge you to do so. There might be a long list of things you'd rather be doing than standing in a line waiting to push a few buttons, but today there are few things that could be more important than casting your vote. It doesn't matter who you intend on voting for; make your voice heard. There is no better, or more important, time than now.
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This was my first American election, too. I've been voting in Canadian elections at all levels since turning 18, but until 2006, I didn't have my American passport or SSN and before 2007, I hadn't lived in the US, excluding me from voting in my mother's birth state (Pennsylvania).
I was lucky; at 7 am there was no line and the whole thing took me about 10 minutes, including walking to and from the polling station. I am displeased with the electronic voting machines. They have no paper trail. In Canada, we still use paper ballots and it works out just fine, and paper ballots won't ever break down!
I'm avoiding the news until tomorrow, because I think if I didn't, I'd check it obsessively. I used to live in western Canada, so by the time our polling stations closed at 8pm, the results would be in from eastern Canada and the election would have been pretty much decided. I'm not staying up until midnight to find out who won, because I don't think I could take that much tension!
I'm literally working at an Obama phonebank right now. It's about 6:45 on the West Coast, and we've already been here for over an hour. I've never felt the kind of happiness-- giddiness really--that I'm feeling around here. We're all saying "Merry Obama Day!" and dancing around. We're videotaping ourselves being silly in between calling every single voter we can in Ohio.
We're so excited.
So....excited.
Voted!
Now, to wear out the "refresh" button on my web browser reading these damn blogs. . . .
Done!
I voted two weeks ago, but today's the day when Yes We Can becomes Yes We Did. I've voted in every election since 1980, and paid attention to every one since 1968. This one is the most historic and important of my life.
I'm happy it's over. At least, it will be soon. I've got an ugly feeling in my gut that our next president will be a very old white man (and, after a year or two, a dim-witted Alaskan woman), but I remain hopeful that America will make the right choice.
I voted last week, mailed in my absentee ballot to California. I was originally on the fence of voting in CA or here in MT - a vote for Obama in MT would have more effect, since CA is his ace in the hole, and voting there for him would more or less be redundant.
However, I felt a strong need to vote against the bigots voting for that piece of hate speech called Prop 8. Oh, and a no for prop 4 too.
In any event... things are looking OK for Obama here in MT.
And by the way, I wouldn't really mind waiting for several hours to vote. I've only done such via absentee ballot; I think it would be kinda fun to do the traditional voting thing for once.
Voted! Ballot #81 in Pine Knoll Shores, NC cast at 7:53 am. Go blue North Carolina!!
HAW! My vote cancels out your'n! I voted for JOHN McCAIN, REAL AMERICAN! At least he isn't a SECRET MUSLIM TERORIST!
... Just kidding! (As far as you know!)
What the Hell is that noise?
Oh. It's Massachusetts taking the party to the streets.