And thus, the ritual votation is performed.

[pauraque_bk]

I feel good. Nervous as hell, but good.

It's a beautiful sunny day here. There wasn't a very long line; about a five minute wait. They did have apples and candy available if people got hungry in line, though, and the staffers were extremely friendly. They were actually *asking* people if they wanted a paper ballot or to use the machine, which was surprising and wonderful!

As I was coming out, I saw a young guy, maybe a student at the nearby high school, talking on his un-poll-able cell phone:

"I'm at the park. ... I just voted. ... Kerry. ... Yeah, it's kinda sad, I didn't wanna vote for Kerry, but he's better than... Yeah. ... She's with me, she's still inside..."

Heh, not exactly a ringing endorsement for my guy, but still. There were more people there than previous years, definitely more young people. And they're bringing their friends! I'm tempted to go back after school and work get off and take a peek at how many people are there then.

I'm loving all the voting posts today. Keep it up. And if you haven't voted yet, there's still time. Go now. Please.

[ETA: I thought I already said this, but now I realized I just linked to Michael Moore saying it. Even if you don't live in a state that's in play, the popular vote is still important! President Bush may have ignored the fact that he didn't receive the popular mandate, but that isn't normal. President Kerry needs to be able to get things done, and for that, he needs as big a win as he can get. Your vote may not "matter" today, but you can bet it will count for the next four years.]

Comments

[pauraque]

I'm with Tucker. We desperately need a majority mandate and an uncontested election.

BTW, I did my bit for Kerry in Virginia, thinking about that issue. (Though also about the fact that we're suddenly a competitive state in some polls, which is extremely cool.)

Thank you! I noticed that about Virginia early on, because keladryb used to live there and had been watching the polls closely. From where I'm standing, Virginia is in play!

[(Anonymous)]

Glenn here; I voted this morning shortly after the polls opened, and they just closed here in Ohio about half an hour ago.

I'm the opposite of Tucker Carlson, I'm afraid; I voted for Kerry, but expect Bush to win, although the PBS news analyses I just saw were more bullish for Kerry than I expected. (My feelings are, admittedly, probably influenced by my environment: the county where I live is the most conservative and Republican county in this part of the state, and has grown noticeably more so in recent years. In addition, while we're not the Bible belt, the conservative religious vote is fairly powerful here. I grew up here, but more and more I'm feeling like an outsider in the face of this sort of thing.)

Incidentally, my parents have a bet going: my father, the Republican, is betting a nickel that Kerry will win, while my mother, the Democrat, is betting a nickel that Bush will win. ;-)

What I am hoping most of all is that (1) whoever wins, the vote is a decisive one--I don't want another mess like last time; and (2) I am hoping, quite possibly in vain, that whoever wins, the two sides of the ideological divide will be able to calm down, reconcile themselves to the outcome, and find a way to work together, as opposed to continuing what Time magazine called "the Uncivil War." Personally, I'm afraid that the gaps are far too wide for any such thing, but still...

Following a meeting at my church last night, I and the other members of the group expressed our hopes that the election went smoothly. One of my friends there (a Bush supporter) quoted a commentator he'd heard as saying, "By Wednesday morning, depending on your political persuasion, you're either going to be very excited, or very depressed." To which I replied that in either case, I hoped that both sides would "get over it", and move on.

p@,
Glenn