I put on my new red shoes and blue jeans and headed to my polling place...
where there were no lines!
I was kind of disappointed because I came prepared
with a novel and my ipod
and had visions of in-line comaraderie--
maybe some joking and couple of new friendships.
But I waltzed right in, got my ballot,
stood in the booth, filled in the circles,
put my ballot in the box, and got my sticker.
5 minutes max.
Tonight we'll be making Gabi's pizza dough recipe,
throwing together some voter map pizzas,
and gradually filling in the blank US map
with blue and red
as the results trickle in.
Hooray for democracy!
Hooray for the 19th amendment,
only 88 years ago, giving me the right to vote!
Next presidential election,
my daughter will vote, too. Wow.
On a serious note, I do have firm opinions about this election, as I'm sure you do, too. I don't usually tout my opinions widely because I respect that everyone arrives at their political beliefs and opinions in their own way, prioritizing the issues that are most important in their own lives (the loudest I've gotten here is quietly putting a little image in my sidebar) but I do love to discuss things in person. The thing is, I can see both sides. I have both parties on my family tree, back several generations. There are stands on both sides of the aisle that I believe in.
I am heartened by the fact that, no matter the result tonight, we have four good people willing to put themselves out there for derision/mocking/applause/support/commentary ad nauseum in order to serve our country, to lead us. I'm sure these next years won't be easy for the new commander in chief. So my best wishes to whomever it ends up being.
*Did you know my home state of Utah gave the vote to women in 1870, 50 years before the rest of the country? I think that's applaudable (&, as I remember, my great grandmother was a suffragette who pushed for the 19th amendment early on). Thanks, Grandma Achsa. I thought of you today.
