Voting Rights

The most interesting incident Tuesday morning was my walking to a building to enter a booth and push levers on a voting machine. I have never understood why anyone passes up that bargain. It doesn't cost a cent, and for that couple of minutes you're the star of the show, with top billing. It's the only way that really counts for you to say I'm it, I'm the one that decides what's going to happen and who's going to make it happen. It's the only time I feel really important and know I have a right to.
  Rex Stout  A Family Affair

So Tuesday was Election Day.  I know that for some of you folks out there, particularly in the states of New Jersey and Virginia and the City of New York, it was a huge event, but where I live in Ohio there was nothing much on the ballot. Sure, city council races, but all those results were decided in the primary, when the Democratic Party candidates were chosen.  School board races and court judges were about as contentious as things got.  But there were bond renewals on the ballot for the Parks service, and also for out local Zoo, which along with the libraries and public transit, rank high among the ways I like to see my tax dollars spent.

These days of course there's all sorts of options for voting, absentee ballots, early voting. But I like to go to the polls on election day. As the above quote from Mr. Stout points out, Election Day is the one chance the average citizen has of feeling involved in the running of the country. So I like to vote in person, on Election Day.

When my husband arrived at the school gym it was nearly deserted.  I remember standing in line, outdoors, as hundreds of people waited to vote in November of 2008. We had our children with us that night, wanting them to see democracy taking place. This afternoon one was at school and the other away at college, and there was no waiting. We produced our ID's and were handed our ballots.

It only took a minute or two to fill in the dots and turn in our ballots. They handed us stickers, proclaiming that we had in fact voted and we were done and back home in 10 minutes.

 Yet in some ways this was a greater event than a presidential election--not a moment of historical importance perhaps, but a moment of real participation in what goes on in the community.  One of our neighboring communities had a levy pass by one vote.  Just imagine, one person decides not to bother coming and everything changes.

Oh and in case you were wondering, the Zoo and the Parks made out just fine. 




I am linking up to the I Don't Like Mondays Blog Hop at elleroy was here.
It's the perfect way to start the week.