Election Day

Vote

According to the (kind of old) Merriam-Webster paperback placed conveniently next to my computer, “vote” means to cast a vote; to express an opinion; to choose, endorse, authorize, or defeat by vote.

Today was Election Day and our polls were busy. I vote at the local firehouse. Since we homeschool, my girls went with – and, for the first time, we had to wait in line for a long time. They have been voting with me since they were in infant carriers. 

We make memories each time we vote. The election judges recognize my girls every time I pick up my ballot. One time, the firefighters gave us a private tour of the firehouse. Today, they offered my voting assistants a donut! My girls always stop to look at the statue of a firefighter, clothed in yellow and black, hoisting an ax in the air with fragments of wooden beams and nails surrounding him. No matter how many times we vote there, this is always a pivotal moment – and a great opportunity to talk about the heroic acts that sustain our country and our freedom.

I always discuss the voting process with my children and they get excited about watching as I fill out a ballot. We huddle around the small table as I fill in bubbles that remind me of taking scan-tron tests in high school. My youngest carries the ballot with the cover over it to the box and my oldest usually puts it into the “ballot vacuum,” as she calls it.

There is a finality in casting that ballot.

All the months of listening to speeches and reading mailers – oh, and the political calls – have come to an end. With that single action, we endorse our candidate.  We support those with similar values and we partake in a process that has kept our country alive since its birth.

Tonight, as I await the results, I marvel at the way we can follow the precincts and how quickly our votes are tabulated. That one ballot – the mark of a black pen that gives a voice to our conscience – has been counted amongst the other thousands of votes cast in our county. And, the power of that one ballot, combined with the other individual ballots, paves the way for the future direction of our nation.

I do not take my voting rights lightly. It is a privilege to be able to cast that ballot. I am proud to see that so many in my own county have taken part in this remarkable, wonderful democracy that we have.

No matter who wins in your local elections, never feel defeated.  Every vote counts. Continue to vote - Every. Single. Election. Tell your kids about it. Wear your sticker. Let everyone know that you are proud to live in this great democracy!