My wife and I showed up at 6 a.m. this morning (the polling in Maryland opened at 7 a.m.) and there was already 18 people in line. By the time 7 a.m. rolled around there were hundreds behind us, wrapping around the rather large school where the polling took place. We asked a longtime volunteer if they'd ever had a line like this when the polls opened. Her reply? "We've never had a line, period."
I've never known a time when people finally, actually, honestly believed their vote counts but now they do. The last four years have shown us that eternal vigilence truly is the price of freedom. We've been asleep too long. I was moved this morning to find that so many of us have finally awakened.
Jonathan, That's really cool. I voted around 11:30 or so this morning, at my local church. There were maybe six people inside the polling room, and a dozen more scattered in the hallways and the parking lot. I had come prepared with a bottled water, some crackers and reading material, assuming I might have to wait. The lack of line doesn't surprise me, though-- Oberlin is a small town, and I'm guessing a lot of students voted absentee (when I went to our local diner after for lunch, the waitress said that there were huge crowds this morning, so I'm also guessing a lot of local folks were like you and your wife, wanting to vote right when the polls opened to avoid the crowds). With my "I voted" sticker on, I found myself smiling and nodding at other folks on the sidewalk who also sported them-- the sense of anticipation and community was really nice. I am a bit nervous, I will admit, and consciously avoiding most news outlets until this evening, but I am also hopeful about what will happen.
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I've never known a time when people finally, actually, honestly believed their vote counts but now they do. The last four years have shown us that eternal vigilence truly is the price of freedom. We've been asleep too long. I was moved this morning to find that so many of us have finally awakened.
That's really cool. I voted around 11:30 or so this morning, at my local church. There were maybe six people inside the polling room, and a dozen more scattered in the hallways and the parking lot. I had come prepared with a bottled water, some crackers and reading material, assuming I might have to wait. The lack of line doesn't surprise me, though-- Oberlin is a small town, and I'm guessing a lot of students voted absentee (when I went to our local diner after for lunch, the waitress said that there were huge crowds this morning, so I'm also guessing a lot of local folks were like you and your wife, wanting to vote right when the polls opened to avoid the crowds). With my "I voted" sticker on, I found myself smiling and nodding at other folks on the sidewalk who also sported them-- the sense of anticipation and community was really nice. I am a bit nervous, I will admit, and consciously avoiding most news outlets until this evening, but I am also hopeful about what will happen.