Early Voting

In less than a week, early voting for the November 8 election will start.  I plan to be at the polls on the first day, ready to cast my ballot. Believe me, I am ready.

I am a fan of early voting.  During the 2008 election season, I was away from home for an extended period of time on a work assignment, and the day I returned home also happened to be Election Day.  Because I didn't plan ahead and get an absentee ballot, voting on Election Day was my only option.  I got to my polling place about 15 minutes before the polls closed, and even though I'd been driving all day and couldn't wait to see my family, I went in and did my duty as a responsible citizen. I didn't even stop to go to the bathroom first even though I needed to go (somewhat urgently- it was a long drive).  It was a good thing I knew who I was going to vote for.  I don't think my bladder could have survived indecision.

Not voting was not an option.  I appreciate voting, if only because I can mutter under my breath "Take that, you (insert profanity)" to politicians I don't like as I vote against them and get that momentary feeling of satisfaction. 

I've learned my lesson.  No voting procrastination.

My decision has been made for months (no, I'm not telling you who I'm voting for or who I think you should vote for; hopefully you've done your own research, and I don't think one blog post would change anyone's mind anyway) and I can't wait to cast that ballot because then the election will be over for me! When I walk out of the polls it will be happy unicorns and cute puppies and glitter rainbows and Mary Poppins singing happy songs while I dance to my car! My Facebook feed will be full of nothing but cats and memes about coffee and adorable baby photos!

Oh, no, wait a minute. It probably won't be like that.

I have ambivalent, conflicted feelings about social media, especially Facebook.  It's a lot of fun and it's a great way to connect with people, learn about things you're interested in (snakes, fungi, butterflies), and it's a very efficient way to sell band pies to friends and relatives (you know who you are; thank you!).  Facebook can also serve as a window into others' thinking, preferences and personalities, and sometimes those insights might be things you would have preferred not to know.

I will admit that some of those insights have affected my relationships with other people, and they may not even be aware of it.  I have friends and acquaintances of all different political persuasions, and I wanted desperately to think that it didn't matter, that our relationships would be the same, that differences of opinion could be worked through.  It turned out that could not be the case in some instances, and that has been hard to accept.

After I cast my ballot next week, I will probably exhale a huge sigh of relief; I'll feel some temporary joy in knowing that my work as a voter is done.  However, that feeling will likely not last long.  It will probably end the very next time I turn on the TV or log into Facebook.

Even when this election is over, on the evening of November 8th, I don't think it will really be over for a long time. I don't know what will happen; that is way outside my area of expertise.  I suspect, however, that if we really want to repair the damage that has been done by this election, it will involve a lot of hard work.

Meanwhile, if you're going to vote, I  highly recommend early voting. You never know if a kid will get sick, or the car will break down, or a giant earthquake will crack the foundation of your house in two.  A final piece of advice: go to the bathroom before you go vote.  You have no idea how long the lines might be.