But aren't all diaries personal? Don't we all have a personal stake in this election? And every election?
But my stake might be a little more personal that most. You see, my brother is running for US Congress, trying as a political neophyte to oust a long time Republican, and one of the most odius and corrupt in Congress at that.
Do I support him? You bet I do, but I don't live in the same district, or even the same state. I can't really do effective volunteering for him, walking precincts, mailing flyer, etc. I do wear the T-Shirt sometimes, and it gets comments, like, "Who is that?" (Although I did meet someone recently who DID know who he was - the Democratic Challenger of the Republican incumbent in my own district, after a public debate between the two.)
I have promised him that I would fly out there and support him during the election - mostly to help him celebrate the Victory Party. I'm going to be there with my wife, and my two sisters. Like me, neither lives in his state. We have agreed to meet and stay at the same hotel while out there. Standard American family - scattered to the winds.
Knowing that I would be out of town on election day, I went to the town clerk in my town to apply for absentee voting. The town clerk gave me an application, which I filled out and returned.
Yesterday, I received my absentee ballot in the mail. Today, I voted! Whew! For me, for my state, for my district, for my candidates, IT'S OVER! Now, I just have to sit back and wait for the results to be tallied. In that, I'm no different than any other voter. For my brother, though, it won't be over until very late on Tuesday night.
But I found out that absentee balloting rules differ from state to state - and maybe from town to town or county to county. One of my sisters lives in a state (Pennsylvania) that allows absentee balloting only if in the military and away on duty, if physically incapacitated, if religious beliefs don't allow voting on certain days, or if your school or business takes you away from the polling place. (Or if you are married to one of the excuses.) So how does she get to vote AND fly away from her polling place to support her brother? Does she perjure herself? Arrange a 'business' trip? Become incapacitated? It's a problem.
I think she just won't vote, and believe me, she wants to vote against the odius Rick Santorum.