Its strange, i had practically grown up in my local library library. My mom had taken me to summer camps and plays there and each time id come home with a stack of books. Breaking open the musty covers, reading and learning about whatever i liked that week. I remember checking out 7 or so books on all the presidents just because i could, damnit. I volunteered there in high school (I went to a charter school run by liberals so it didn't suck, go figure). I thought it was fitting that my first flirtation with democracy happened at the place that taught me about it.
I stood in line, perused a sample ballot, chuckled at the third party candidates and smiled. I hate to admit there's a bit of a rush to the whole thing, but it was nice. Also knowing i was contributing to Obama winning Florida gave me the slightest shit-eating grin. Thank god for swing states, amirite guys? Literally "thank god", the southern christian right voting in the same ancient conservatives is why the electoral college still matters, but i digress. I looked around and watched the old wealthy people eye me. They knew who i was voting for. I looked like a taker. Not in the fun way either.
I live in a wealthy beach town. Across the bridge, on the barrier island, live the rich. (CEO's, inventors, entrepreneurs , that kind of rich) and on the other side lived us. My father was a small business owner and my mother was a housewife before they divorced when i was 13. They were apolitical but i perceived on my own how unfair it was. My parents deserved the health care, the security, and the education the people over that bridge got but the small government train we hoped on with Bush was having none of that shit. I guess it turned me into a Democrat. I wanted John Kerry to win in 2004, although my political beliefs where unfounded. I could only think of the nightvision footage on CNN of the tanks rolling into Iraq and knowing it wasnt right. By 2008 i actually knew about Politics but expressed disinterest publicly as talking to other teenagers about politics is like smashing your head into a wall. I wanted Obama to win badly. I didnt see McCain as much of a horror but Palin...that is antichrist material right there. My wish came true and Obama became President. He was graciously bi-partisan in his first two years and then got backstabbed by the tea party after the mid-term elections. It pissed me off, not only because i didnt vote in 2010 but that they were such contrarian batshit douchewads. On the brightside, it caused me to learn more about political theory and economics and made me into a knowledgeable progressive, the conservative dream crusher. Even before Romney got the nomination i knew who i was voting for.
So back in 2012 I got up to the volunteer, handed them my ID (yay, Republicans!) and got my ballot. It was like holding a baby, a democracy baby. I filled it out and finally got to say "fuck you" to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in the best way possible. Dont get me wrong, giving my TV and computer screen the finger is nice but it just doesnt have the high that voting does. So really, talk to your apolitical friends and your hilarious 3rd party friends and make sure they vote, and maybe try to convince them to give Obama a chance to fix this country like Clinton did in my formative years.