Or should I say the ballot? By ten thirty this morning, Karen and I had arrived at the early voting station near where she works downtown. About thirty people were in line outside. Maybe another fifteen standing inside the door. And five more waiting for one of the two dozen privacy booths to open up.
There was a good mix of people in line, older, younger, men, women, mildly affluent and working class, all chatting together amicably, their only concern that someone else might cut in line. There was a security guard directing us, and poll workers counting us into the building. There was at least one family represented by three generations, the youngest not quite old enough to vote. Or read. Or hold the pen. Or really do much more than smile at all of us funny looking people and drool. She was a very cute baby out with her mother and grandmother for her first electoral experience. Always good to see them started young even if they won't remember.
Oh, since we're in Florida, perhaps some of you were looking for a different set of demographics? Let's just say that in line I felt like the shirt of a tuxedo attending a formal dinner, by which I mean as an ensemble we all looked good.
The line moved steadily. After they checked my ID, I felt like that dream where I'm back in school again taking a standardized test. Here's your black pen. Don't drop it, don't lose it, don't eat it. Don't take it with you. Here's a sheet to mark your answers. Fill in the bubble completely. Only color inside the lines. If you make a mistake, raise your hand to request a new paper. Don't open your booklet until you're standing in the voting booth. No talking. Keep your eyes on your own test. When you're finished, run it through the scanner to tally your final grade. If everything checks, you are free to go. You should receive your results in just under two weeks.
The only difference was they encouraged us to bring a crib sheet, like an open book SAT. Just beyond the Neutral Zone at the entrance a young woman representing one of the major parties was handing out a substitute in case you forgot your own.
There was an older man in front of me with a discernable eastern European accent. When asked at the registration desk whether he wanted his next ballot mailed to him, he replied firmly, "I don't believe in that. I would rather come down here and spend my time to make sure everything goes right." Everyone smiled at his answer, the poll workers and the patrons. On his way out, the party rep tried to hand him a "good government team" cheat sheet which he casually waved away saying he had already voted, "Only for the main man." "Oh, which one?" Whisper, whisper, mumble. "Oh, great! High five."
We had stickers in hand before eleven, twenty-five minutes tops, line and all. Karen and I made a morning of it, casting our ballots then going out to her favorite downtown deli where we compared notes over sandwiches. We had reached similar conclusions on most of the issues. On one or two, we cancelled each other out. Several local races were contests between incompetence and inexperience. Hard to know which way to lean there, toward the devil you know or the demon you don't. Either one could steal your lunch.
The Supervisor of Elections says we're on track for twenty-five thousand early voters at a paltry three locations. Counties with half our population have double that number of sites. Another hundred and seventy thousand citizens have requested mail-in ballots. Seventy thousand of those have already been returned. That out of six hundred and fifty thousand registered voters broken almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans with a quarter sitting it out in other parties. Historically, we have turnouts like our November highs, hovering near the upper seventies to low eighties. I'm curious whether we see a mini-heat wave this year.
Nothing left for us now but to sit back and enjoy the game. For those of you who know my politics and agree, I encourage you to come out and support my choices. For those who disagree, I encourage you to come out and nullify my vote. For those who are unsure where I stand, swing by the house; from there it should be obvious. Or the more clever among you can puzzle something out of this message.
Remember, it doesn't matter if you see politics like an organized sport or like a crapshoot lottery: you can't win if you don't play. So, get out there and vote. And best of luck to you and your candidates. I think we'll all need it soon.
© 2008 Edward P. Morgan III
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