Election Day Special

I am currently 27 years old. The first year I was eligible to vote in a major election was the 2004 Presidential race, between John Kerry and George W. Bush. This was also my first year in college, and I spent a good chunk of time in my first semester volunteering for the student democratic organization for John Kerry. In fact, this was where I first got to know my friend Lauren, who is getting married this weekend and for whom I am a bridesmaid. We shared a cab together going home from a very disappointing "victory rally" in Boston on election night, together. (That was also the night I had a professor of mine give me an excused absence for missing lab for purposes of attending said rally, even though he informed me that he hoped that my guy lost.) That year, I sent in my absentee ballot for voting in Maryland. Naturally, the following 3 years I did the same thing, since I was at school at the time (Brandeis!) and didn't want to go home via 8 hour bus ride to vote.

Four years later, for the 2008 Obama vs. McCain election, I was no longer in college: I was taking a gap year between college and grad school in order to work, travel, and in general get a breather from school. However, once again I sent in an absentee ballot: this time, because I spent the entire month of October (and obviously, the first week of November), volunteering my time for the York, Pennsylvania  Obama campaign. It was a fantastic experience, overall. I didn't get paid, but one of the staff gave me a free place to stay while there. I preformed quite a WIDE variety of tasks. I was acting as the assistant out of state volunteer coordinator, figuring out where best to place OTHER Maryland volunteers. I went door to door all over the county, trying to convince folks to vote for then-Senator Obama. I made phone calls, sometimes convincing folks to vote for Obama, other times searching for volunteers. I registered lots of young (and older) voters. I answered phones and questions as a receptionist for the center. I sorted through swag and signs, making sure people only took what they needed. On election day, I ran from house to house, reminding people to vote. I basically did whatever they needed extra folk for each day. And I met some great people, of course! So when Pennsylvania was awarded to Obama only very short time after polls closed at 8'o'clock, I was extremely satisfied, and extremely emotional and happy at the victory party held by staffers later that night.

The past 3 years, I've been in graduate school, and again voted in general by absentee ballot each year for the local ballot questions. But finally, FINALLY, this year, for the very first time, I was here, in Baltimore, to cast my ballot in person. Not only for the President of the United States, and for Senator and Congressman - all of whom are shoe-in democratic in my state and district - but also for a few very important ballot measures. The most pressing in my mind, of course, being for Question 6, for Maryland to be the first state by voter referendum to allow gay marriage. It also is a very carefully worded measure to protect churches and religious institutions from being forced to officiate such marriages, which I'm absolutely fine with: state shouldn't force church just as church shouldn't dictate to state. But it was extremely satisfying to vote "yes" on such an important issue, where I know my vote matters quite a bit.

I don't know how the presidential or local measure will fall out: both of these have been polling in my favor, but of course, nothing is certain until after elections are over and done with. I can only hope for the best at this point; though I also spent about two and a half hours phone banking into Virginia, where the turn out matters quite a bit more, for presidential politics.  But this year, it felt just a little more real to actually go into the voting booth and pressing the buttons. I'll be staying up to watch the polls come in with my parents (as well as the Stewart/Colbert election night stuff), then heading off to jury duty first thing tomorrow morning. Civic duties abound.

A picture from the 2008 election, while working in PA.