Wow. Watching the news this weekend I couldn’t help but be impressed by the hundreds of thousands of people standing in long early voting lines that moved at a glacial pace. This is coming from a New York City resident, mind you, and we know about lines.
It reminded me of the first time I voted. I was 18 and it was the first year 18-year-olds were granted the franchise, so I felt especially empowered. I was passionate about my candidates and issues and couldn’t wait to pull the lever. Again, turnout was huge and there were long lines but I gladly braved the November winds of Ann Arbor.
Finally I got inside the voting booth. It felt as if I’d entered the inner sanctum of democracy and all at once whom I was voting for seemed less important than that I was voting. I knew that many people waited behind me yet I couldn’t help but take a minute to savor it all. I think maybe that’s why the line moved so slowly that day…all those first-time voters who just took a moment to check it all out. Finally I pulled the lever.
That night watching the returns I felt a chill down my spine knowing that one of those millions of votes being tallied was mine.
Van Varner, GUIDEPOSTS’S former editor-in-chief, used to walk through the office on Election Day urging people to go out and vote. He’d even let you take an extra long lunch or leave early if you promised to drop by your polling place.
We don’t endorse candidates or political parties at GUIDEPOSTS, or even cover politics. That’s not what our readers want. But we do endorse one thing: Voting. It is your duty as a citizen of this country, and you owe it to your fellow citizens to participate.
So come Tuesday, don’t forget to vote. Hey, and if the line is long, I know some reading material you can bring along with you to help pass the time. It’ll fit right in your purse.
Edward Grinnan is Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of GUIDEPOSTS Publications.
