Monday, November 05, 2012

Voting

Like everyone else, I am very ready for this election season to be over.  It has dragged on as long as I can remember.  Was there ever a time before these men were arguing with each other and everyone I know was arguing too?





But as much as I dislike the polarization we've seen during this election, I can't be cynical about voting.   I think about people around the world who have no voice in their government; I think about the photos of eager first-time voters lining up across the hills in South Africa in 1994; I think about women in the United States who fought for years for the right to vote.

Source: http://qu301southafrica.com

Voting is a privilege, and I hope my American readers will go vote tomorrow.  I sent off my absentee ballot last week.  I admit that it gives me a thrill every single time I vote, even though my first election was -- ahem -- a long time ago.


4 comments:

Linda B said...

Done, and proud to say I did. Thanks for the photo Ruth.

Janet said...

I agree. In the weariness the campaign season brings on, I feel flashes of cynicism. But the actual voting is always a thrill.

Anonymous said...

Yay for voting! Absentee voting was not quite the same experience, but still thrilling.

Sarah SSM said...

Well said. And important.

I remember being nearly in tears listening to the first votes following the break-up of apartheid in South Africa - adults who were voting for the first time, and what it meant for them. Wow. Just wow. We should all appreciate it.