Today's the Day

Four years ago on Election Day 2008 I did a blog post about my observations in Shorewood that day. This being our first presidential election in Woodbury, I'm back with another election day post.

This morning Allie and I were out in the 27 degree air and watched the early voters stream up Main Street (in their cars) and into the Senior Center. The polls opened up at 6:00 a.m. and the traffic into Woodbury's one and only polling place was bustling.

From spring through the fall the Lions Club keep American flags flying along Main Street. For election day they replaced any old flags with new ones, so that Main Street looked very spiffy. As the sun was coming up over the eastern hills, the flags really stood out.

I stopped at the Woodbury Diner for lunch and found an Election Day themed menu. (I also found that the restaurant was packed. It felt like a holiday.) I kinda think there's a not-too-subtle message in their putting Linda McMahon (U.S. Senate candidate) at the top of the menu. But if I'm right, why would they have associated her name with the Fried Chicken special? I think Chris Murphy (her opponent) got a much better dish named for him.

I won't name names (Dad), but I know that voting by mail is becoming a popular thing to do. For me, I like to vote in person. It's an event! At our first election in Ithaca in 1990, my boss George organized an office-wide lunch outing to Ithaca's annual election day pancake meal. It's still my favorite Election Day memory.

How our system of voting has evolved in this country - not just who gets to vote but how we vote - is the subject of a fascinating article that Mary shared with us this fall. Even though all of us over the age of 18 have the privilege to vote, it's a sad fact that our officials are elected by a small percentage of the voting-eligible population. The question of whether we should have compulsory voting along the lines of countries like Australia is one that's debated around this time of year. For now, those who choose to vote get a brownie button. (Above, witness my brownie button.) Next up: an evening watching the returns come in!