I'm still excited and energized by the results of the presidential election. Along with the rest of the country, I spent the 4th glued to the news reports, watching the state results come in (pleasantly surprised by my home state - yay hoosiers!), confused (as always) by the popular vote versus the electoral vote, and moved by both the concession and acceptance speeches. It was a fantastic night and proved, unlike other recent elections, that sometimes the system works.
After that politically correct (and accurate, I might add) spiel I now have to make a confession - a confession that is going to make me sound extremely hypocritical and could shock some of you, as I know you are all responsible citizens who care deeply about the fate of the country and, many of whom, work for DC non-profits and organizations that firmly believe in social justice and change.
OK, here it goes...
Ready? I'm gonna say it....
I almost didn't vote.
(please forgive any mis-spellings throughout the rest of this blog as I'm now hiding under my desk in anticipation of dirty looks and small, blunt objects being thrown in my general direction).
Ok. So this is the part where I go down a list of points, attempting to justify the irresponsible choice that I ALMOST (note the almost) made.
Just a quick warning - all of these are excuses, most are a stretch and many sound a whole lot like whining.
-Up until 3 days before the election, I was a DC resident who was registered to vote in the District. On the weekend of the 31st, however, I moved to Arlington, Virginia. This led me to question whether I was legally allowed to vote anywhere but I couldn't find anything on any of the "how to vote" websites explaining what to do if you are "between polling places" (that sounds kind of like an answer you would give on a blind date) and also weren't organized enough to vote absentee.
-Every article I read and every report I heard throughout the day focused on the lines. It seems that everyon who went to vote had to wait in long, long, long lines...historically long lines....excruciatingly painful long lines....for hours and hours and hours...in the rain. I know the goal of the local media wasn't to convince Faith Korbel not to vote, but they sure weren't pushing me to make an effort.
-Tuesday is my yoga night. I always go to yoga on Tuesday night and I'm a creature of habit. Honestly, it would have been nice if the government had consulted me when deciding that elections would be on Tuesdays.
-Obama had DC locked up (it's a fact - he won 93% of the DC vote). I know, I know, if all of his supporters used that excuse not to vote, there would be a huge upset and we would all be really sorry. I know this, I just felt confident that he was ok without me. Had I been registered in the battleground state of Virginia (where I technically live) I wouldn't have considered skipping out for a second, but DC seemed safe.
-One of my coworkers was going to vote a straight republican ticket and I was going to go completely democrat - we were both feeling lazy and figured our votes would only cancel each other out so if neither of us went it would basically be the same as if both of us did (it seemed like a reasonable theory at the time...until he voted over lunch).
-I hadn't done my research. Of course I knew about the presidential candidates (I have, after all, been alive for the past 2 years) but as far as the local stuff - I knew nothing. Other than who had neat signs (Dotti Love Wade had apples on her signs...but I'm not even sure what she was running for) and whose names sounded cool (somebody named Kwame Brown must be cool), I was at a loss.
Finally, the excuse that is probably both the most accurate and the least forgivable:
-It was kind of a rainy gross day and I couldn't leave work to vote over lunch so by the time 5:30 rolled around and I was walking out of the office, I didn't feel like getting my butt back into DC to my registered polling place.
So before the judgement really begins, let me assure you - I did it...I voted.
(can I come out from under my desk now?)
I debated (both internally and with anyone who would listen) most of the day and concluded that, in the end, I would be really upset with myself if I didn't take part in such an historic election. I also realized I could make it into an evening run (making up for missing yoga).
The run from Arlington to DC is scenic and appropriately political. Starting at the Iwo Jima Memorial, you pass Arlington Cemetery, cross the Memorial Bridge and continue past the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Memorial and the White House. With the combination of exercise and inspiration, the dread began to lift. The city streets were full of people leaving the office for the day and on their way to various bars and homes for election-watching parties and rallies. People were excited and hopeful and there was an energy in the air that you experience in DC every 4 years...and, yes, missing it would have been a bummer.
By the time I arrived at Bancroft School in Mount Pleasant I was downright excited to be voting, excitement that grew when I saw the line of approximately 1 person (so much for the news reports - early voters are suckers :)). I picked up my ballot and pencil, connected all of the arrows, marched up to the nice woman at the ballot machine table and smiled as she repeated the line of the day "Thank you for taking part in history" and handed me my sticker.
When I got home I turned on the television and settled in for a night of election coverage. The results came pouring in and we all know how it all ended.
Could Obama have won without my vote? Heck yeah he could have (just like Kerry lost with my vote four years ago). The important thing is that when the election of 2008 actually is history and Obama is known as one of the greats, I can be smug about it - after all, I voted for him. :)
After that politically correct (and accurate, I might add) spiel I now have to make a confession - a confession that is going to make me sound extremely hypocritical and could shock some of you, as I know you are all responsible citizens who care deeply about the fate of the country and, many of whom, work for DC non-profits and organizations that firmly believe in social justice and change.
OK, here it goes...
Ready? I'm gonna say it....
I almost didn't vote.
(please forgive any mis-spellings throughout the rest of this blog as I'm now hiding under my desk in anticipation of dirty looks and small, blunt objects being thrown in my general direction).
Ok. So this is the part where I go down a list of points, attempting to justify the irresponsible choice that I ALMOST (note the almost) made.
Just a quick warning - all of these are excuses, most are a stretch and many sound a whole lot like whining.
-Up until 3 days before the election, I was a DC resident who was registered to vote in the District. On the weekend of the 31st, however, I moved to Arlington, Virginia. This led me to question whether I was legally allowed to vote anywhere but I couldn't find anything on any of the "how to vote" websites explaining what to do if you are "between polling places" (that sounds kind of like an answer you would give on a blind date) and also weren't organized enough to vote absentee.
-Every article I read and every report I heard throughout the day focused on the lines. It seems that everyon who went to vote had to wait in long, long, long lines...historically long lines....excruciatingly painful long lines....for hours and hours and hours...in the rain. I know the goal of the local media wasn't to convince Faith Korbel not to vote, but they sure weren't pushing me to make an effort.
-Tuesday is my yoga night. I always go to yoga on Tuesday night and I'm a creature of habit. Honestly, it would have been nice if the government had consulted me when deciding that elections would be on Tuesdays.
-Obama had DC locked up (it's a fact - he won 93% of the DC vote). I know, I know, if all of his supporters used that excuse not to vote, there would be a huge upset and we would all be really sorry. I know this, I just felt confident that he was ok without me. Had I been registered in the battleground state of Virginia (where I technically live) I wouldn't have considered skipping out for a second, but DC seemed safe.
-One of my coworkers was going to vote a straight republican ticket and I was going to go completely democrat - we were both feeling lazy and figured our votes would only cancel each other out so if neither of us went it would basically be the same as if both of us did (it seemed like a reasonable theory at the time...until he voted over lunch).
-I hadn't done my research. Of course I knew about the presidential candidates (I have, after all, been alive for the past 2 years) but as far as the local stuff - I knew nothing. Other than who had neat signs (Dotti Love Wade had apples on her signs...but I'm not even sure what she was running for) and whose names sounded cool (somebody named Kwame Brown must be cool), I was at a loss.
Finally, the excuse that is probably both the most accurate and the least forgivable:
-It was kind of a rainy gross day and I couldn't leave work to vote over lunch so by the time 5:30 rolled around and I was walking out of the office, I didn't feel like getting my butt back into DC to my registered polling place.
So before the judgement really begins, let me assure you - I did it...I voted.
(can I come out from under my desk now?)
I debated (both internally and with anyone who would listen) most of the day and concluded that, in the end, I would be really upset with myself if I didn't take part in such an historic election. I also realized I could make it into an evening run (making up for missing yoga).
The run from Arlington to DC is scenic and appropriately political. Starting at the Iwo Jima Memorial, you pass Arlington Cemetery, cross the Memorial Bridge and continue past the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Memorial and the White House. With the combination of exercise and inspiration, the dread began to lift. The city streets were full of people leaving the office for the day and on their way to various bars and homes for election-watching parties and rallies. People were excited and hopeful and there was an energy in the air that you experience in DC every 4 years...and, yes, missing it would have been a bummer.
By the time I arrived at Bancroft School in Mount Pleasant I was downright excited to be voting, excitement that grew when I saw the line of approximately 1 person (so much for the news reports - early voters are suckers :)). I picked up my ballot and pencil, connected all of the arrows, marched up to the nice woman at the ballot machine table and smiled as she repeated the line of the day "Thank you for taking part in history" and handed me my sticker.
When I got home I turned on the television and settled in for a night of election coverage. The results came pouring in and we all know how it all ended.
Could Obama have won without my vote? Heck yeah he could have (just like Kerry lost with my vote four years ago). The important thing is that when the election of 2008 actually is history and Obama is known as one of the greats, I can be smug about it - after all, I voted for him. :)
Comments
Post a Comment