As much as I hate talking about politics and would rather talk about food, I can’t get past today without pointing out the very obvious…it is Election Day. My husband and I went out and voted this morning.
The line got long fast (2 of the 7 machines were already down). As more people would enter, I would see some familiar faces like my doctor, my mailman and police officer I know. It was starting to look like a Village People concert…even if they had broken out into a verse of YMCA….it wouldn’t have been the most abnormal thing I’ve seen during this election.
As I saw all of these folks standing and waiting, my mind was wandering. Were they voting for HER or HIM? Do they know the issues better than I do? Have they been studying our local candidates? Or are they related to someone on the ballot? Why didn’t that lady wear a bra? (It was cold this morning and those things were starting to look intimidating!)
The line slowly moved ahead of us and it grew behind us…I’ve never seen the polling place so crowded. I think the scary thing for me was knowing that we all have different issues that are important to us.
It was my turn to step forward. It was my chance to make my vote count.
As I scrolled through the pages, certain names would pop out to me. Did I see that on an ad? Is that who my neighbor is supporting? Is his/her name a euphemism for body part? (That will always get my vote…for the record.)
Who are these people….really? I will own that part of the blame is on myself for just not being proactive in learning about ALL of the candidates. I know enough not to be completely ignorant but there was a lot I skimmed over. I allowed the advertising this year to take the wind out of my sails and I honestly just was over it.
I wondered if the other folks voting felt like me. How were they going to feel when they left our polling place? Did they KNOW they made the right decision? Is there more to our civic duty than just showing up? Will we ever know what the right choice was going to be?
The moment before I pressed the red square button, I took a breath and had so many dreams ramble in my head. I hope whoever wins can bring some peace back to our country. I hope we can honestly move forward and work together.
I hope this is not the end but the beginning. Ballot Casted.
