Voting

This is the first year I have voted in Gates, and the first year I went with one of my sons to vote. Even though I suspect we may have cancelled each other out, I was very pleased and proud to go with Kiel to the polls.

We drove up to St Jude's, wondering if we were in the right place. Why is it that just because people have been doing something in the same place for years that they assume everyone knows the drill? It wasn't until we got close to the door that I finally saw the Polling Place sign. We parked and headed inside.

We stepped into the room and gave our names at the table inside the door. The ladies scratched their heads, searching for our names. I explained that we had moved in the summer and that I had gotten a form in the mail. They still couldn't find us. A gentleman stepped over to the table and asked us where we lived.

Turns out there were five or six different districts in the huge room, and we were at the wrong table. They directed us to the far side of the room. A new wrinkle for me, and I have been voting for years! Once we got to the right table, we zipped in and out in a matter of minutes. I had been a bit peeved that I couldn't get to the polls before I had to be at work, but Drew missed the bus and I was delayed.

I was half a day without an "I Voted" sticker - it felt downright unpatriotic. I mentioned it to the lady at the table while Kiel voted. She told me that the lines in the early morning had been very long - out the doors and down the sidewalk long. If I had come in the morning, I would have had to wait for at least 45 minutes if not longer. And they were expecting the traffic to pick up within the next twenty minutes as people got out of work.

So we hit just at the right time. It was good to see so many people out voting. Its probably the best turnout I have ever seen. Hurrah! Maybe Americans have finally figured out how important it is to vote. Well, we shall see. But at least I did my part. The rest is up to the good Lord.