i registered to vote two weeks before my 18th birthday. no, there were no impending elections but i was so excited that i would be able to go to the poles and actually exercise my constitutional right to vote that i couldn't wait. so fast forward some 11 years and here i am, just having returned from my new poling place.
today's vote was significant for several reasons: first, it was my first outside of Sacramento county. yep, that's right folks i am no longer a resident of sac county, therefore i cannot vote, or serve jury duty there. it's kind of sad because i grew up knowing sacramento politics, and down here i feel like i know nothing!
second, was that it was fun to walk into the polling place and know people. my neighbor was one of the poll workers. and the other workers knew exactly where i lived, "in Grandma Tillion's old house."
third, voting is one of the greatest things since sliced bread. no... really it is! american's have such a blah attitude about voting that we completely take it for granted. there are people living on this planet who have fought for years of their life with a small possibility that they will be able to cast a vote to have influence in how their homeland is governed, and the reality is that they will never have the opportunity to vote, but their children will. there are people on this planet who risk their life and the lives of their family members to vote. people die for doing the thing we completely take for granted.
and then we like to complain about how our country is not going the way we want it. we complain about the people in office and we have an opinion about how things should be run. if more people would get off their loud, annoying soap box and actually do something about the voting crisis in this country, then maybe we will get somewhere!
so, today i voted. i am not happy with my choices, but i voted anyway.
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