This afternoon, I received an envelope containing my official 2014 Pennsylvania absentee ballot. I attend school and currently reside in Philadelphia but maintain my official residence at my parents house in Western Pennsylvania.
I unlocked my apartment, and headed over to my desk to carefully open the envelope and read over the instructions to ensure that my vote would be valid. After carefully bubbling in the appropriate ovals, I carefully folded my ballot and sealed it according the the printed instructions. Continue reading below the fold for the exciting conclusion.....
On the walk to the mailbox, I noticed that the T-shirt I had thoughtlessly grabbed from my dresser drawer was one of my dad's t-shirts from the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (AFT Local #400). This reminded me of the terrible effects the policies and budgets implemented by Gov. Corbett have had on school districts, students, educators and communities throughout Pennsylvania over the past four years.
I experienced a deep sense of pride when I dropped my ballot into the mailbox this afternoon. Pride mixed with satisfaction. I was doing my small part to clearly voice the belief that screwing over working men and women, gutting public services, cutting funding for education is something that the citizens of Pennsylvania are not willing to stand for.
I urge anyone reading this diary to make every effort to express yourself at the ballot box this election. Even in cases where the results aren't in much doubt (Tom Wolf leads by a fairly wide margin) getting out and voting is a powerful statement.
The clarity and power which comes when many people speak with one voice can not be overstated. If we can prove that our side will turn out when public servants, the middle class, the education of our children are threatened, then perhaps they will think twice before provoking us in the future.
Information On Absentee Ballots and Voting Procedures
PFT 400 - Teachers Matter
Tom Wolf for Governor