remember your wellies

i’m not a very political person. i believe that a lot of the issues in politics are important, but i don’t speak out about many of them. it doesn’t do any good when election day roles around. the only thing i can do is cast my vote.

but i love election day. there is a thrill in the air, “vote here” signs pebble the landscape, and it is considered cool to wear a phony sticker on your sweater.

what i love most about it though is the old school nature of it. people gather in schools and churches – people who may not have been in either one of those buildings for many years. in a world where everything is digital, election day is still analog. i can’t even remember to stop at the library and bring my book back on time, but on this day people wait in lines with books, phones, and ipods to cast their vote. physically.

i love the old women that highlight my name, double check my address, and hand me a piece of paper in a manila envelope. i love carrying that paper and pen to a lit cove and bubbling in my votes. its just wouldn’t be the same if we all ticked a box electronically to weigh in on who we’d like to govern our country.

so, happy election day. may you walk, drive, or bike to the polling place near you. may you experience the lines (though i ask them to be short for you), feel the paper in your fingers, and send your ballot into the counting machine. then, may you walk out of that church or school with pride, knowing you did your duty and voted.