Early Voting

I have mixed feelings about voting early. On the one hand, I love it because it's so easy. I went to my local library this morning around 10:30, voted, and was in and out in less than five minutes. In that regard, it's fantastic, especially for those of us who remember the "olden times" when we had to stand in line forever at our specific voting precinct on Election Day -- or not. Back then, I remember many people leaving after several hours because they simply had things to do that they couldn't get out of to vote. One year in particular, 1992 to be exact, I stood in line for two hours, asked someone to hold my place in line while I left to nurse my youngest son (neither of us could wait any longer), came back nearly an hour later, and waited two more hours to cast my vote. I think that was the year that made folks rethink the way it was done, but even after that it could still be a pain to vote.

I registered to vote shortly after my eighteenth birthday and have voted in every election since -- with one notable exception: the year I moved to Florida, 2000. I hadn't updated my information in time to be able to vote, and after the election debacle that year I was really sorry I hadn't. This year I voted for a candidate whom nearly everyone says is unelectable. It is just the primaries, after all, and maybe if others who support this candidate ignore the "unelectable" designation we can have a government that cares more not only about Americans but also about those who live outside our country's borders. No one will ever convince me that hatred and exclusion are policies embodied by our society. I also find it amusing that folks who whine about "socialism" generally don't complain about the availability of public education, libraries, infrastructure, etc., all of which are government-funded (as in "paid for by tax dollars") programs.

In general, I am disgusted by our country's politicians, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. But to get back to my mixed feelings on early voting . . . I usually have the concern that something could be revealed about my candidate of choice between the time I vote and the actually date of the primary election. This year, I'm not concerned about that. However, I do wonder what happens if my candidate (or another one) dies between early voting and primary day, or even between nomination and the actual Presidential election. Where does my vote go? Does it just disappear? If you know, I'd be delighted if you shared that information. In any event, today I am proudly wearing my "I Voted" sticker, and if it turns out I was too idealistic in my choice, I'll be okay with that. I think it's at least worth a shot.