October 20, 2008

It took two-and-a-half hours, but I'm proud to say that I've cast my ballot in the 2008 presidential election. I voted for the man who (I hope) will be sworn in as the 44th president exactly three months from today.

I didn't mind the line. The folks around me were friendly -- and of the same political mindset, so there was no awkwardness when politics seeped into the conversation. When I left the polling place, I couldn't help but wonder how much longer those still in line would be there, or how late the poll workers had to stay after all the voters were done.

I just hope this election goes smoothly, and that Florida is not the cause of any major problem. We're using optical scanner ballots, which were four legal-size sheets (front and back). This was a little bit overwhelming, but once you realize that everything is written in three languages, it's a little easier to take. Luckily, I went over a sample ballot in advance, and all I had to do was bubble in my choices. Yes, I felt like I was back in school, but instead of using a No. 2 pencil, we had to bubble in with black, ball-point pens. For 16 people, six state constitutional amendments and 10 county ordinances, it took about 15 minutes.

But, when I was finally done, and I fed all four sheets into the machine -- oh, what a feeling!

No comments: