Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Stickers for grown-ups!

Ah, Super Tuesday! I love voting. Just as the mom in Mary Poppins who was too busy fighting for suffrage to notice her kids at all predicted, I do adore the suffragettes. I woke up happy, knowing it was an election day. We were out of coffee which might have ordinarily caused some quiet panic in the pit of my stomach but I simply left a few minutes early and headed to our local coffee shop. From there to the polling place! Giddy, I joined the (somewhat depressingly short) line promptly at 7:05. I even like standing in line on election day. This is interesting to me as the very prospect of standing in a line as finite as 2 people has, on occasion, prompted me to put down the item I was planning to purchase and just go home. But I love to chat it up with my neighbors in line at the polling place. We are a delightful mix of colors, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and, I noticed this morning, styles of dress.

I had my driver's license, subject of much debate in our state's supreme court, at the ready for the cheerful volunteer. I gleefully filled out the form stating I would be voting in the Democratic primary today (though my pen hovered briefly over "Republican"...throw off The Man? Nah.) and I stepped up to the Diebold electronic voting machine and hoped no one had hacked into it as I placed my vote. Why yes, I do think we should implement a 1% sales tax to pay to replace our pre-civil war sewage systems! I selected the lesser of the evils for whom I would like my state's delegates to vote and then I hit CAST BALLOT. That always feels so good. I paused for a moment of silence for all the people dying in the name of free elections in Kenya right now and then I moved toward the door.

Then comes the very best part about voting. Unlike my children, I receive no particular kudos for my good behavior at the doctor's office, the dentist or even at work. But for voting...I get a sticker! IN YOUR FACE KATE & SARAH!!! I always display my sticker proudly on my shirt on election day, in hopes of reminding my fellow voters to go to their polling places. Sometimes I forget it and it goes through the wash on my shirt and I have to work to remove the sticky remnants of paper from various bits of clothing as they emerge from the dryer. It's alright. I'm a Georgia voter!

8 comments:

jdrueke said...

I chose to save my sticker for Kate rather than wear it. Who's the better parent? I think it's pretty clear.

Keith said...

Kate should have a sticker that says, "I committed election fraud!"

I sure wish Virginia had The Vote. Laws, yes I do.


ps - my blogger word verification is "wild". Good omen, that.

Anonymous said...

I saved my sticker - I guess for Sarah.

FlapScrap said...

Jude and I will send our stickers to Kate and Sarah. In May, when our irrelevant primary occurs. Except we vote by mail in Oregon, so I guess I'll just send them each a stamp.

ps my word verification is "ymmdaqay" which means I'm having lunch at Dairy Queen.

The Plaid Sheep said...

Stickers? We don't need no stinking stickers here in New York.

LMP said...

You're just jealous.

The Plaid Sheep said...

Am not. Now if they'd given you a cookie...

LMP said...

Author's Note: I stated that the line to vote was "somewhat depressingly short". However, this year broke the record for voter turn-out in a primary election in the state of Georgia. The new record? 44%. Am I happy? Or still depressed? I can't decide. Maybe if they DID give you a cookie we could at least get to 50%. Dare I hope for that to someday NOT be a record?