05 11 / 2018
Hi Friends! It’s me, I’m still alive.
I just wanted to chime in with my 2 cents about voting.
I have seen a lot of posts with people talking about the first time they voted, how exciting it was, encouraging people to vote.
I am just here to say that my first time voting was fine, unmemorable– John Kerry lost, Barack Obama was elected to the Senate, ok. (I also voted in the primary that year. I love voting!)
But I will never forget the first election I was eligible to vote in, bc I didn’t vote. I was a sophomore in college, and I just… didn’t know how. I didn’t really understand what the midterms were, and I really didn’t understand how to vote, either in my college town or in my home state.
And I will never, never forget the results of that night, when voters in my home state of Georgia elected a republican governor for the first time since reconstruction. Since reconstruction! I remember talking on the phone to my dad that night, going over the results, and feeling so bummed. And feeling like I had a little to do with it. This was pre-facebook, pre-twitter, pre-anyone TALKING about it, but it still felt crappy.
I don’t think you can register to vote in the banana state of Georgia anymore, but Illinois, where I live now, has DAY OF VOTER REGISTRATION. It’s ok to just show up with a utility bill and say, please help me vote! The poll workers will help you!
And not sure who to vote for? think about the issues you care about generally, and VOTE THE PARTY LINE. This is completely acceptable. It is. You do not have to vote for the perfect person. You can vote the party line, and you can even skip the judicial elections. We shouldn’t be voting for judges anyway!
There. My two cents on voting. Go forth, young ones, and do not live with my regret.