Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Vote With Your Mind, Not Just Your Heart

I VotedIndiana polls opened at 6:00 this morning, and I headed out the door at 6:10 to go cast my ballot. I arrived at the polling location just three minutes later (it's just around the corner), and had to park at the Doctor's office across the street because the school parking lot was full and cars were already lined up along the street.

I crossed the street and joined the long line of voters waiting in the parking lot. The line stretched outside the door, down the side of the building, across the parking lot, and began to wrap back around the parking lot. Several minutes after joining the line, the line was relocated to run along the back side of the building instead of across the parking lot where cars couldn't get through.

After waiting twenty minutes in line, a poll worker came outside to announce that voters from my District could go inside and begin voting. There were apparently two Districts voting at the same location, and the bulk of the turnout was for the other District. Several of us walked around the line and entered the school, walked across the gym to our District polling area, and joined a much smaller line.

McCain / PalinIn less than ten minutes, I had ballot in hand, cast my vote for John McCain, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Greg Zoeller for Indiana Attorney General, Tony Bennett for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Gabrielle Campo for U.S. Congress, and others.

I have been a voter for two decades and have never had to wait in line to vote like I did today. This will surely be recorded as a record turnout in America. What does this say of our political climate today? I think it says that one side of the population wants to be a part of history while the other side wants to make sure that history doesn't stand in the way of what's best for the country. That's my view, anyway, and probably the view of most voters who cast their ballots similar to mine.

History is a great thing. Being a part of history is a great thing. America is absolutely ready for the first Black (or is African-American the politcally correct term these days) or first female in the White House. More importantly, America is ready for the right person in the White House, and I encourage all Americans to cast their vote with their mind, not their heart.

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