So I voted this morning. The polls weren't crowded, but I didn't expect them to be, as local elections don't have a lot of turnout. Still, there were about 6-7 people voting when I got there, which is better than I thought it would be for this type of election. One thing about these insane, divisive times, it makes for more political involvement.
One thing I wasn't expecting is that there are no more voting machines at my polling place. Everything is done on paper ballots. So I got to sit at a table, and fill in little circles like I was taking a standardized test at school. Of course, being people, everyone was complaining about what an inconvenience it was. In all fairness, that was my initial reaction as well, but it only lasted a few seconds. The touch screen voting machines that have been in place for the last decade or so never filled me with confidence. There were often problems with them, and I saw people having all kinds of trouble with them at times when I was there voting. Paper ballots are more secure and a better way to go.
Still, there was griping, and a discussion about it, but I finally said "when you really think about it, it's just a couple extra minutes out of your day. You're getting to vote, and have a say in your government, something so many people around the world don't even get to do. It's not really that big a deal." Everyone agreed, and we went back to filling in our circles.
I love voting, to be honest. Not just for the whole civic duty, making my choices known, blah blah blah stuff. I like being part of the process. I like the community of it. The same volunteers have been there forever, and I like them all. There are a couple of older black women who have been there since I started voting at that place, and they are two of the nicest, outgoing, most genuine people I have the pleasure of coming across out there in the wild. We kid around, and talk about voter turnout, and joke about how to pronounce my last name and my illegible signature. I talk to other people there as well. Voting makes some people nervous, because it's not something you do everyday, and people feel out of their element. Don't ever kid yourself, one of the reasons for low voter turnout is because there are a lot of people who are simply intimidated by it. Some with good reason, if you know anything about the history of voter suppression. Political parties go out of their way to make it hard or nerve wracking to vote. They don't want certain groups to vote, and they know how to make that happen.
So what you get is a lot of people who are on their best behavior because they feel out of place. That generally sounds like a bad situation, but in actuality, it makes people nicer and more open. I have had very pleasant interactions with Republicans and conservatives, religious types(my polling place is a church), a bunch of people I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to engage. We are all just people, doing our part in our democracy, and for a few minutes, it makes you feel like a community. Communities are made up of people from all walks of life and with all sorts of ideologies and views. When you are face to face with them, interacting with them on a personal level, it's much harder to just write them off. That's something you almost never get online. It's easy to dismiss or attack someone from behind a keyboard, but when you're in the same room with an actual human being, it's not that simple. I like people, at least I want to like them. As I always try to get across, I'm an extroverted introvert, so voting makes me happy because I get to be engaged with people, even though the thought of it beforehand can really turn me off!
I have never had a bad experience voting. You won't either, so get out there and just do it. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it!.
