I remember Meredith’s first chance to vote and she was sick and contagious. She was So disappointed. I commented on that to a friend who was a poll official and he said, bring her up and I will bring the ballot out to her. I had to help her into the car, brought her to the parking lot, Cliff came out with the ballot and while we chatted over the top of the car, she voted in her very first presidential election.
We have three grandchildren who are of voting age for the first time this election. I did my Mama Susan thing and sent an email extolling the vote. This is such a Privilege we have in this country. And even here among free people, women and blacks had to fight and struggle to obtain that right and privilege. I remember the first free election in South Africa and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in his red robes, Dancing around the box into which he placed his vote. He would start to put it in, raise it up again, smile and dance some more. Over and over. Sheer Joy on his face.
When we have been through this kind of election (and there may not be any other kind), when the rhetoric has been mean-spirited and ugly, when names have been called, when issues have been ignored and questions not answered and we are Just Plain Tired of Politicians, it would be So Easy to say, why bother? Why should I vote? Why does it matter?
Why? Because you Can!
After all of this, next Wednesday morning, whomever is elected will be “our” president, however we ourselves voted. And we will spend the next four years exercising our right and privilege to complain and criticize our government until we to go the polls and do it all over again.
Forget politics for a little while and enjoy the Vote.
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