The election takes precedence over everything else this morning. This is the last day. Everything after today is a consequence of the decisions we have made. Remember that polls are wrong; a simple common error can hide what is actually a landslide one way or the other. Remember that it is your responsibility as a citizen to vote. Remember that all the generations coming behind you will pay for the decisions you make today. This is not a game or a fantasy. This is not an experiment or an academic exercise. This election results in real changes, real consequences, and history-making.
I decided to vote early this morning. Polls here opened at 6:00 AM and are among the earliest to close at 6:00 PM. I walked the kids to the bus stop since it was on the way, then on to the elementary school that serves as a polling place for general elections. I was there by 6:45. I didn’t leave until an hour later, and that was with a short line. I’ve gone later in the morning for other elections and had to wait in a line that stretched down the sidewalk. This morning was quick by comparison.
The gentleman standing next to me in line, who almost certainly voted Republican, bemoaned the voting machines of earlier years where there were physical switches to flip and a lever to pull. To some extent, I can sympathize. The touchscreen ballot was finicky about recording votes. If you didn’t touch it hard enough, it didn’t register. If you didn’t touch it in exactly the right place, it didn’t register. Instruction pages were confusing and required careful reading. Voting has been easier in some aspects, but it is still worth every effort.
People at our polling place were polite and congenial. No one wore the wrong clothes, buttons, or hats. No one chatted in line about how they were going to vote. This is exactly the way I think voting should be. You don’t try to influence me, I won’t try to influence you.
My parents were married for 42 years and voted in countless elections. I’m not sure they ever discussed with each other how they were voting. I know this because not only was there no political talk in our house, but more than once Mother was upset because Poppa’s vote had effectively canceled hers. Only after they had voted was there any discussion, and even then it was quite brief.
Now, we have media everywhere. Candidates’ rallies are poured over, fact-checked, and split up into three-second sound bites. We see them in commercials, on social media, and even at the gas pump. Every source claims to be telling the truth, but be honest: what is the truth? Would we recognize Truth if it came up and slapped us in the face? I seriously think that our views and opinions have been so severely manipulated that we don’t actually know what is going on, and the politicians like it that way.
I am of the opinion that they should give away cookies after we vote. Yes, that is against the law, which makes me wonder what the judge was smoking when he decided that Elon Musk’s stupid giveaway could continue. I can’t have a free cookie, but a highly partisan billionaire can give away a million dollars? Is it just me or does that feel pathetically skewed in the wrong direction? I may treat myself anyway. I’m thinking of a burger and fries for lunch if I get my breath back.
Yeah, walking to the polling center and back was taxing. There are ways to get a free ride to the polls and back but we live so damn close that it seems like a waste to have someone come get me. Of course, the weather isn’t helping. We’re expecting storms sometime after 3:00 PM today, but the skies are already gray, the wind is blustery, and the fucking barometric pressure has to be down on the floor somewhere. The simple act of existing is difficult enough. Walking a half mile and back? Yeah, that part was less than fun.
From here, we sit and wait. The news stations are already doing their analytical thing, but again, you can’t trust any of it to be accurate. Regardless of what they say, GO VOTE. This is your right, your privilege, and your responsibility. Make good choices.
Election Day Edition
The election takes precedence over everything else this morning. This is the last day. Everything after today is a consequence of the decisions we have made. Remember that polls are wrong; a simple common error can hide what is actually a landslide one way or the other. Remember that it is your responsibility as a citizen to vote. Remember that all the generations coming behind you will pay for the decisions you make today. This is not a game or a fantasy. This is not an experiment or an academic exercise. This election results in real changes, real consequences, and history-making.
I decided to vote early this morning. Polls here opened at 6:00 AM and are among the earliest to close at 6:00 PM. I walked the kids to the bus stop since it was on the way, then on to the elementary school that serves as a polling place for general elections. I was there by 6:45. I didn’t leave until an hour later, and that was with a short line. I’ve gone later in the morning for other elections and had to wait in a line that stretched down the sidewalk. This morning was quick by comparison.
The gentleman standing next to me in line, who almost certainly voted Republican, bemoaned the voting machines of earlier years where there were physical switches to flip and a lever to pull. To some extent, I can sympathize. The touchscreen ballot was finicky about recording votes. If you didn’t touch it hard enough, it didn’t register. If you didn’t touch it in exactly the right place, it didn’t register. Instruction pages were confusing and required careful reading. Voting has been easier in some aspects, but it is still worth every effort.
People at our polling place were polite and congenial. No one wore the wrong clothes, buttons, or hats. No one chatted in line about how they were going to vote. This is exactly the way I think voting should be. You don’t try to influence me, I won’t try to influence you.
My parents were married for 42 years and voted in countless elections. I’m not sure they ever discussed with each other how they were voting. I know this because not only was there no political talk in our house, but more than once Mother was upset because Poppa’s vote had effectively canceled hers. Only after they had voted was there any discussion, and even then it was quite brief.
Now, we have media everywhere. Candidates’ rallies are poured over, fact-checked, and split up into three-second sound bites. We see them in commercials, on social media, and even at the gas pump. Every source claims to be telling the truth, but be honest: what is the truth? Would we recognize Truth if it came up and slapped us in the face? I seriously think that our views and opinions have been so severely manipulated that we don’t actually know what is going on, and the politicians like it that way.
I am of the opinion that they should give away cookies after we vote. Yes, that is against the law, which makes me wonder what the judge was smoking when he decided that Elon Musk’s stupid giveaway could continue. I can’t have a free cookie, but a highly partisan billionaire can give away a million dollars? Is it just me or does that feel pathetically skewed in the wrong direction? I may treat myself anyway. I’m thinking of a burger and fries for lunch if I get my breath back.
Yeah, walking to the polling center and back was taxing. There are ways to get a free ride to the polls and back but we live so damn close that it seems like a waste to have someone come get me. Of course, the weather isn’t helping. We’re expecting storms sometime after 3:00 PM today, but the skies are already gray, the wind is blustery, and the fucking barometric pressure has to be down on the floor somewhere. The simple act of existing is difficult enough. Walking a half mile and back? Yeah, that part was less than fun.
There are other news stories today. Boeing workers ended their strike last night. Global stocks are mixed as investors watch the US election. Andrea Bocelli has released a new compilation album to celebrate 30 years in the music biz. Feel free to buy that one for me. On vinyl.
From here, we sit and wait. The news stations are already doing their analytical thing, but again, you can’t trust any of it to be accurate. Regardless of what they say, GO VOTE. This is your right, your privilege, and your responsibility. Make good choices.
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