I was wavering this morning about actually not voting. Reports in my area, for early voting centers, were almost universally multiple hour lines. And then this morning I woke up to pictures of my hometown voting center having lines wrapped around the building. I've been pretty outspoken about my disdain for both sides right now, and for both leading candidates. So the long lines were ample reason to sit it out.
But that wasn't sitting well with me. Voting is a civic duty, and my parents have instilled in me a pretty strong sense for that duty.
So, Facebook posts led me to a church a town over from me, that supposedly had short lines. Turns out, the lines were very manageable, and the wait wasn't overly long!
I was kinda pissed that the machines wouldn't let me write in Curt Cignetti for every race. I know he'd struggle to make the meetings, but he'd be a GREAT school board member for my school system!
As I witnessed the voting volunteers helping a disabled person more comfortably vote...and patiently helped an older voter figure out the machines, and the process to submit the votes...I was forced to lament the fact that there are thousands upon thousands of volunteers today, on both sides of the aisle, that are infinitely better people and better choices than many of the people on the ballots they're helping everyone cast today... But despite that frustration with the choices, I walked away proud that I did my duty. And I was comforted that, despite all the warnings, the BS fear mongering, from both sides...that we have the best, safest, and most fair election process in the world. Whoever wins today will have won. Some will try to cheat. Some will probably succeed, on both sides. But it won't decide the election.
I'll be surprised if we know tonight who won. But when we do know, I hope the losing side handles themselves with an ounce of the integrity that these volunteers are.
But that wasn't sitting well with me. Voting is a civic duty, and my parents have instilled in me a pretty strong sense for that duty.
So, Facebook posts led me to a church a town over from me, that supposedly had short lines. Turns out, the lines were very manageable, and the wait wasn't overly long!
I was kinda pissed that the machines wouldn't let me write in Curt Cignetti for every race. I know he'd struggle to make the meetings, but he'd be a GREAT school board member for my school system!
As I witnessed the voting volunteers helping a disabled person more comfortably vote...and patiently helped an older voter figure out the machines, and the process to submit the votes...I was forced to lament the fact that there are thousands upon thousands of volunteers today, on both sides of the aisle, that are infinitely better people and better choices than many of the people on the ballots they're helping everyone cast today... But despite that frustration with the choices, I walked away proud that I did my duty. And I was comforted that, despite all the warnings, the BS fear mongering, from both sides...that we have the best, safest, and most fair election process in the world. Whoever wins today will have won. Some will try to cheat. Some will probably succeed, on both sides. But it won't decide the election.
I'll be surprised if we know tonight who won. But when we do know, I hope the losing side handles themselves with an ounce of the integrity that these volunteers are.