I did my civic duty last evening. Oregon's voting system is done entirely through the mail. We receive our ballots approximately two weeks prior to election day in the mail, along with voter's guides which explain the candidate's positions and the various ballot measures we need to decide. Voting is done in the privacy of our homes, and we simply mail back our ballots, or for those of us wanting to make sure they are received, we can take them to various drop points across the state.
It's all rather convenient. You avoid having to stand in line for hours on one day, and you can take all of the time in the world to make your choices. Well, all the time up to Nov. 4th that is. The nice thing is that you don't feel pressure to vote quickly, and can sit with all of the guides, pamphlets, articles or crib notes you need.
I always mail back my ballots pronto, with the exception of the presidential election. That one I always go to a drop off location where I give it directly to an election official. I don't mistrust the post office. In fact, in our last election, I forgot to sign the envelope, and promptly had it mailed back to me so that I could sign it. But with the presidential election, I want to ensure my vote is registered and counted. And now, I can ignore the sloth of negative campaign ads we'll be forced to watch over the next two weeks!
I wish I could put into words the pride that I felt voting for Obama. After eight years of divisive rhetoric and fear mongering, it felt so good to vote for a candidate that supports my vision and my version of America. Last night's vote repudiates the Bachmanns, the Cheneys, the Palins, and the McCains of this world who seek to divide and conquer than unite by seeing two, three, or fifty Americas, depending on their audience. My vote sends a message that our country has no more room for politics of the last eight years, that Karl Rove will no longer have a stranglehold on the America dream of equality and fairness for all. My vote will propel an intelligent, gifted man into the office, to rebuild our hopes and dreams, and bring us back to the better angels of our nature.
Four years ago, I listened to Obama speak at the 2004 Democratic convention, and was instantly transformed, both in my head and in my heart. I spent two years driving around Northern Virginia (which, according to the McCain campaign is not real) and the Washington DC area with a Barack Obama 2008 president sticker on my bumper. Some people thought it a joke. For me, it was my firm belief in one concept: that when I stand in front of my children in my classroom, that I can honestly say that despite our past forty three presidents, today, no matter who you are, or where you came from, you really do have a shot of becoming president. You really can dare to dream. It can really happen.