I hope all you U.S. peeps managed to vote yesterday without me personally reminding you to do it, because I forgot. I mean, I forgot to remind, not I forgot to vote. I have trouble working up the oomph to do a non-presidential election, so I’m glad Paul is gung-ho about it. My mom came over to watch the kids, and we voted and then went out to dinner.
This was a nice way to do it because then we could go off to dinner feeling all happy and dutiful to have voted, and I felt relieved to be done with the worst part, which is the long walk past the line of candidates and campaigners. I don’t know what to do with my EYES. I don’t want them to TALK to me, and I don’t want them to read anything into my eye contact or lack thereof. This time I tried a new strategy, which was to smile hugely at everyone. That worked pretty well.
So we voted, and I lingered a bit in the voting booth so it wouldn’t look like I was treating this responsibility lightly, and then we went to a restaurant we’ve been to twice before, and we ordered exactly what we ordered on the two previous occasions. We got a chip dip that is probably cheese soup with a huge chunk of Velveeta melted into it and spicy sausage bits sprinkled on top, and then Paul got the chicken tacos and I got the fish. The fish looks HORRIBLE, and in fact the first time I ordered it I was dismayed—until I started eating it. It’s just haddock with stir-fried zucchini and bell peppers and onions piled on it, so it shouldn’t be anything special but it’s SO GOOD. And with the dip, which is HEARTY and PLENTIFUL, I only have room for half the fish, so I have the other half for lunch the next day (though then I feel the absence of the dip and wish for more).
Where was I? Oh yes! Voting! Did you? Or do you feel deadened to the election process, as I often do until I’m walking to the booth with my ballot and hearing stately patriotic music playing in my head?
I always vote, so I did. And the idea of Meg Whitman as our governor or POSSIBLY having Fiorina as our senator was absolutely vomitous and I needed to do my personal best to assure those things did not happen (California, btw).
i voted! i’m a pretty good voter, i think. i even got up extra early in case there were lines before work. (there were not. i got up early for NOTHING.)
I voted, even though the elections here were mostly a foregone conclusion. The polling place was pretty empty, and the ladies who had me sign the voter roll found me witty (I remarked that the other people in with our last name sometimes get our dry cleaning, which apparently was the funniest thing they’d heard in a while), so it was very satisfying on the whole.
I vote for anything with Velveeta in it. Words Best Fake Cheese, right there.
I’m with Alice – got up early for nothing. A million people early-voted in my state, so that must have been such a significant percentage that no one I know had to wait even for a minute or two.
I just wish that everyone wasn’t so preachy about voting yesterday on Facebook. Really? THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME TO VOTE, PERSON I HARDLY KNOW, as if the ENTIRE media hasn’t been talking non-stop about it for a week.
Ok, I feel better now.
Mmmmmm cheese dip.
I’m with Miss Grace! I voted, but mostly was happy to see all of the campaign TV ads, mailers and phone calls come to an end. We were getting 10+ calls per day, and I’m happy to know that nap time is safe, once again.
I voted before work and got to make smug comments to my colleagues about my patrotic-ness.
AND I was one of those annooying FB people telling everyone to vote.
I wonder what this says about me…and also was pretty disappointed with the results of the election. Hello two years of political stalemate!
I voted. I really care about the outcome of the election for governor. Of course, the results are still in limbo because I live in Minnesota and our state is apparently split 50/50, so now we will have a recount. My guy’s ahead though! (I don’t mind the recount, by the way. I’m glad that state law requires when the race is this close that there be a recount.)
I was THRILLED that I got to vote. I was living in DC in the 2006 and 2008 elections, so it felt like my vote didn’t matter. (DC is 92% Democrat so the presidential election was a foregone conclusion, and does not have representation rights in Congress.) Colorado is a swing state and we knew our Senate race this time was going to be incredibly close, and we thought our governor race would be too, so I was SO GLAD to get to cast a vote in both of those. Plus, there were all sorts of horrifying amendments on the state ballot, so I was glad to get to vote on those too. And, Colorado offers a permanent mail-in voting option, which is super convenient and avoids the problem of walking awkwardly pass the campaigners.
I voted, though I had to wait 40 minutes and I got there at 7AM sharp – which is when the poll opened!
The line was wrapped around the building all day.
The disappointing part is that no one I voted for won. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a blue dot in a red state.
I voted, and then worked until 3 a.m. covering the elections (I’m a reporter). I also have a funny story about patriotic music. I have Pandora on my iphone and had set it to a John Phillips Sousa channel for the 4th of July. I was walking into the post office one day when I hit the button by mistake and it started playing, from inside my purse. I was humming along for quite a while to what I thought was the post office music before I realized it was COMING FROM ME.
I did not vote. [Hangs head in shame]
I do believe in voting, the general importance of it but we recently moved and I didn’t change our registration in time and my vote doesn’t matter in my decidedly, significantly one-sided state. So I didn’t this time and am still feeling guilty about it.
I voted. I not only voted, we stopped on our way home from vacation & dragged the boys in with us to watch us vote.
I knew the guy I was voting for did not stand a chance of winning (Tea Party/Green) but I needed to make the statement (and so did 119 of my neighbors according to the by county breakdown).
I voted, as always. That fish sounds so good every time you talk about it.
Also, this was our first year having the paper ballots that you scan when you’re done. It felt oddly like I was taking a test—Choose thje correct candidate: A, B, C or D.
My state is entirely vote by mail, so I voted last week. Some people might not like voting by mail, but I love it. I can take my time, read everything as I go along. Discuss with my husband if I want, and do it when I have the time. ANYWAY, the point is, I did it last week and am so very glad I can stop skipping 1,000 political commercials with the TiVo and jumping around radio stations to the same now.
I voted and I am really glad I did. The governor’s race came down to less than 700,000 votes and was not decided until early this morning. It was really close, and thankfully the candidate I voted for came out ahead. For the state referendums, only 2 out of 6 items on the ballot came out as I wanted, but hopefully things will work out anyway. Even though not everything went my way, I am still glad I did it. I feel so lucky to be able to have the opportunity.
WA State changed to mail in ballots so I really miss going to the Polls.
Wait, what? The Candidates are THERE? How awkward is that. No thank you.
My b-i-l swears that fish tacos are to die for and I just can’t imagine that. Now that you’ve endorsed them (get it? voting? endorsed? Never mind, it’s the meds) I will try them.
I early voted and took my seven year old with me so that I could explain the process and she could earn a Brownie badge in the process. Of course, like Devan, I’m a lone blue dot in a sea of red so it didn’t really matter, but at least I felt better telling Gov. Douchebag to stick it.
Firegirl- This is just fish, not fish tacos. I did try fish tacos once, and thought they were…odd.
I voted. Not that it did much good…ahem…anyway.
Here in MI no one is allowed to be near the polling loctions campaiging etc, so I can walk peacefully in and out. My kids like to come along and get “I voted” stickers.
oh FISH TACOS are the BEST. i was REALLY introduced to the good ones 10 years ago when visiting Southern California. I ate them for pretty much every meal the week I was there. you have to get them from a place that specializes in Fish Tacos- not Baja Fresh or some other chain-type place. the ones with the fresh salsa and slaw and grilled fish are amazing! promise.
I voted early. I spent today totally bummed that Iowa chose not to retain the supreme court judges who ruled to allow gay marriage. I mean, I totally saw it coming, but still. Sadness.
Every time I’ve ever voted I voted early. I never even KNEW you had to walk past all that stuff – now I’m double glad I vote early. To miss the crowds and miss that awkwardness! There weren’t even signs or anything when I voted – just a tiny little 8 1/2″ X 11″ paper saying “Voting here” and an arrow. So much more pleasant!
Dinner sounds amazing! I’m so glad to learn I’m not the only person that orders the same dish over and over and over at the same place. It starts to be like “restaurant A is the fish restaurant” and “restaurant B is the burger restaurant” until I realize – oh yeah, they actually serve other stuff!
I voted. My state had a question on the ballot to repeal the tax on alcohol as I guess it’s already taxed when it comes into the state?? Anyway, I voted not to repeal it and it got repealed. Now, I do drink…as a matter of fact, I like a cocktail when I get home from work every night BUT I’m ok with paying lots of tax on my beverages because if the state doesn’t tax that, they’ll increase my property taxes or the sales tax even more, which they’ve just done. I guess the overwelming vote to rescind the tax means that there are loads of boozers in my state!
I hate to say it, because I hear stately music when I vote too, but mostly I do it to demonstrate good citizenship to my kids. My votes never matter, because in Maryland, its all Democrat all the time.
I sort of wish we had tight races around here, then I would feel like my vote counts. Although really, every vote DOES count.
My extended family have done the campaigning in the past, so I usually just chat to the people handing out brochures, smile at everyone, take their materials (they all get recycled at the end) and ask them if they know how long the queue is and if the fundraising stall has any good cakes. It helps to pass the time. None of them are pushy though, or they get kicked out.
I want cheese dip for dinner now.
Also, yes I voted. Sometimes I think about how I’m specifically canceling out one person’s opposite vote. (Sometimes I have a specific opposite-voting person in mind, in fact).
Yes, and we discovered a phrase that makes your niece laugh, and also your brother and sister-in-law when we repeat it enough:
CIVIC DUTY.
I think it might be that “duty” part. Duty duty duty.
I exercised my right as well. I felt I educated myself pretty well and felt prepared when I arrived at my polling place, but still walked away wondering if I did the right thing on a couple of candidates and issues. I just feel like I want to sit down and get to know them before I make decisions that will eventually impact my family… for good or bad. I guess everyone probably feels that to some degree.
@ Jess – OMG There were some crazy things on the Colorado ballot. Scary stuff. Thank goodness the large majority had the sense to say… NO WAY!
I might end up with Dino Rossi as my Senator. Darn right I voted!
I was also one of those preachy people on FB someone referred to above. I make no apologies for that. If more people did their civic duty and a) took the time to read up on what we are voting on, and b) actually took the time to vote, then perhaps that wouldn’t feel necessary. I find elections tiresome and frustrating too, believe me. And sometimes voting is the last thing I feel like doing, but it is too important of a process to not participate in.
Also, Devan, if it makes you feel any better I’m a blue dot in a typically blue state and most of the people/initiatives I voted for lost. So disappointing!
Yesterday was, of course, the election, but it was also report card day here. Yesterday on Facebook I got so sick of everyone reminding me to vote AND telling me how great their kids did on their report cards.
I voted . . .
My kids got great grades . . .
I don’t want to talk about it anymore. :o)
Ohio is a big “swing state” so I do feel like my vote matters. But I’ve most significantly felt empowered to influence the local elections/issues. (A school levy and human services issue this time.)
The idea of walking past people campaigning is horrifying to me – that does not happen here.
It’s so interesting to hear you guys talking about “did you vote?” etc, as I live in Australia where voting is compulsory (as in, if you do not vote, you are fined. True!), so I’m always fascinated by countries who can vote, but then many people choose not to. I guess the equivalent of that here is that people go to vote, but then turn in Donkey/invalid votes.
Anyway, interesting! What percentage of Americans generally vote? And is that up lately?
Feel free to ignore these questions, of course. Just very curious :)
Definitely did it. Even took my kids along as the polling booth is at their school. They get to see voting in action. Good for them and good for us! Civic duty for this month? Check.
I voted, but mostly just because I felt I should, not because I *wanted* to. I’m so glad the ads are done for a while!
I voted.
I don’t like cheese but I love haddock!
I voted AND I clicked the “I voted” thing on Facebook AND last week I quoted Sarah Vowell on suffrage on my Facebook page, so there. I am smug and pushy and I vote.
Lindsay, Maryland isn’t always red, as Bobby Haircut’s reign showed. So thank you for keeping him from regaining office.
Susan- I remember reading the percentages for voting (they were in a scathing editorial in our local paper) but it was a long time ago and all I retained was that they were a number between “embarrassing” and “shameful.” REALLY LOW.
Slim- I want a bumper sticker with “I am smug and pushy and I vote” on it. It’s a WAY BETTER companion to all those “I’m pro-____ and I vote” and “I’m [religion] and I vote” type.
I voted. No campaigners at my voting location, just a few signs. No line either, it was so easy. I also felt very responsible and such after.
I feel deadened by the aftermath. I swear the world is ending in 2012.