Little cynic that I am, I still woke up with a feeling of quiet joy in my heart yesterday: Voting Day, thanks to the State Department.
My absentee ballot from New York had still not arrived after a month. I was therefore delighted when my spousal unit told me that the Hong Kong/Macau consulate was hosting two early voting days. We went to the first day.
There were about fifteen people in the room, with more arriving as we left. The consular officials just looked, well, jolly. From what I've heard, it's been a bitch to be a Foreign Service officer during the last 8 years. These guys were positively beaming.
They had forms where those whose states still permitted registering could register and request an absentee ballot, then they'd let you vote. If you'd requested one by mail, they just gave you an absentee ballot. If the time to register had already passed in your state and you weren't registered, they registered you for the next election cycle.
There were no names on the ballots--you had to write them in. My husband called across the table, "Hey, what's Biden's full name?" I answered, Joe "The Plumber" Biden. Everyone laughed.
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