I almost didn't get to vote this year.
The original plan was to get up early and vote in our old Uptown neighborhood, a few miles down the road, and then go to the Golden Pancake House next to the Riviera Theatre for breakfast. It's an election day tradition. I hadn't switched my voter registration over to the new address yet, so figured I would just vote at my old precinct. (We still own the condo there, so I thought it would be okay.) But I didn't realize that when I submitted my change of address card to the post office, that information would end up getting forwarded and sold to all sorts of people, including the Cook County Board of Elections. My old registration was invalidated, which I didn't realize until after the October 7 deadline for registering.
Luckily, there is a loophole. I was able to go to the Cook County Assessor's Office in person this week to change my registration and vote the same day. Only, I needed an updated Driver's License to do it. So, on the last possible day for doing so, I waited in line at the DMV, and then sped down Golf Road to get to the Court House building. Talk about cutting it close! I threw most of my stuff at Ted so I could get through security quickly and then ran down the hall to the Assessor's Office, making it with--literally--two minutes to spare. Ted walked in just as they were locking the doors. So, along with dozens of other slacker voters, we waited in line for over an hour so I could vote. (Ted already changed his driver's license, as it had expired, so he'll be voting on election day.)
If it were for any other election, I might have just blown it off. But this year's presidential election is so important, I had to cast my vote.
Anyway, I make no apologies for getting political here this week on the house blog; so close to the election I'm sure y'all will forgive me. I'll give an update on the house-related projects over the weekend, we have been keeping ourselves busy. :-)
So I'll sign off with two videos that are worth watching. To put the first one in context, you may need to watch the original "Wazzup" Budweiser commercial from 2000. In the following video, we catch up with the guys eight years later:
Ted found this next one on Andrew Sullivan's blog: The Vet Who Did Not Vet: A Cautionary Tale. It's a bit Dr. Seuss-like.
4 comments:
Without getting partisan here (is it just me or has this election season lasted three years already?), I know a lot of people who are still registered to vote at their old addresses in swing states, so they're either going home to vote, or voting absentee.
Living here in Illinois, I feel kind of cheated of the drama, because this state has been dark blue in all the polls, and I feel like I'm just going through the motions. But I dutifully voted anyway, especially since there are a couple referendums (referenda?) on the local ballot I wanted to weigh in on.
I remember when David Duke was running for some major office in Louisiana many years ago, and all the preachers were begging college students to come home on Election Day and vote against him (he ended up losing). I haven't felt such election excitement since.
Whatever happens, we're living in amazing times. No matter who wins, we're going to have a "first" in the White House, whether it be a female VP or a President of color. I feel so privileged to be able to witness it.
Joanne, I hope you and Ted got to go to the Pancake House anyway. ;-)
I can't believe how hard it can be to vote.
Just before the primary, too late to get a regular absentee ballot, I broke my foot, and had to get, without being able to drive myself due to the foot, a signed form from my doc, someone to pick up the ballot at the town hall, and then I hobbled out to the mailbox to mail it.
Now (unbelievable) just before the real election, I sprained my ankle. This time I can drive and I'm standing in line with crutches even if it kills me.
A bunch of states already allow early voting by mail without a reason. I am working on my legislators to get this for our state also.
Plus everyone should be able to check their registration and voting place online at their secretary of state's website.
The next time I hear members of a certain party talk against making it easier to register or vote, I am going to spit.
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