Swing State Voting

2 1/2 hours from here to vote

I thought 2008 was the time of heavy voter turnout for the Presidential election.  You wouldn't know that in the swing state of Virginia.  I spent last the three hours in line to vote.  I don't know how many people just didn't get in the line, but I saw NO ONE leave the line.  

This is an interesting area of northern Virginia.  Our neighborhood is heavily immigrant, and not primarily Hispanic.  The voters in line with me were young, white, old, (some very old). African, central and southern American, eastern European.  There were taxi cabs lined up to park so that the drivers could exercise their American right to vote.  It was cold.  I was not dressed right for the cold, but could not make myself leave the line when no one else was leaving.  This was democracy in action.

For three hours as I waited, I listened to Ken Follett's Winter of the World about the rise of Nazi Germany.  As I was waiting to exercise my democratic right to vote, I listened to the justification of the German people (some of them, at least) as to why democracy might be over-rated.  This is an over-used word - but it was surreal.

I'm retired, but I wonder about the people I saw in line, many of whom looked to be hourly workers---I know the taxi drivers don't make money standing in line to vote---but there they were.  I wondered also about the countries from which they came to America.  Was this a normal thing to them to have a say in the leadership of their land?  I really doubted it.  I think for many of them, this was a great honor and they were not going to pass it by.  It will be interesting to see what percentage of the population vote this year.  How many will just skip the polls because the lines were too long, they were too busy, they were sick of the election.

I'll stay up tonight to see what happens.  All of us here are tired of the election campaigning, but as a swing state, we have had the opportunity to see the importance of the race, too.  I'm sorry I had to bear so many hours of disgusting ads, but happy I am part of the excitement.  Thanks to whoever was handing out candy in the line, too.  Next time, bring some hot coffee!