I imagine a lot of you will be first time voters this year, and I wanted to relate my experience and warn you of complacency. We need your vote most of all - to be blunt, Obama will lose if you don't show up.
I cast my first vote 18 years ago. This was in Texas and we had a dogfight between Clayton Williams and Ann Richards. At the time I was taking classes at Austin Community College and our history professor basically told us he would fail us if we didn't vote, and we had to bring in proof that we did. I was a little nervous for some reason going to the polling place, but I voted and watched the results with a feeling similar to watching a close football game that I had money on. It was weird, but very exciting. Not everything I voted for or against was a winner, but Ms. Richards did win and that was very cool to me. Clayton Williams was pretty much a jerk to her and it was an ugly campaign on both sides...that's the way it goes sometimes, but the better person won.
Now for the lesson of Bart vs. Martin. You may remember this election for 4th grade class president on The Simpsons. Basically, Bart wrapped up all his friends' support using means you can imagine he would use, and then when it came time to vote they all rushed out to eat cake and forgot to cast a ballot, and Bart lost 2 votes to zero (Martin held up a school newspaper headlined "Bart defeats Martin!"
Let's not get cocky from the good polls and think we have this wrapped up...you have to vote. Make the time on Nov. 4th, or better yet vote early or absentee if possible.