I Voted

[owlmoose]

One of my most important rituals, ingrained in me for as long as I can remember, is the sacred responsibility of voting in every election. And except for my four years of college (I stayed registered to vote in California, so I was never there in November) and the gubernatorial recall election of 2003 (I was on a trip to Japan), I have always voted in person on Election Day. There are a number of reasons for this, but I'd cite two as the most important -- I appreciate having the extra time to do research on the propositions (my hatred of the proposition system is a topic I have discussed at length, so I won't go into that right now), and I feel drawn to the public aspect of going to my polling place, casting my vote, and getting a little sticker. It's hard to explain my attachment to the "I voted" sticker -- perhaps it goes back to November 1992, my first general election, when I did vote absentee and Sonoma County included a sticker along with my ballot (it was an old-style butterfly ballot, not yet infamous for its hanging chads, and they also gave me a little metal stick I could use to punch out my choices), and I was so delighted by it that not receiving one feels like a let down. It's a simple thing, that sticker, but it makes me feel like a part of something larger, and so does voting in public, with my community.

Not to reject the importance of providing more options to voters: early voting, permanent absentee status, offering everyone the opportunity to vote by mail. One big antidote to voter suppression is making voting as simple as possible, and moving to vote by mail does that in a big way. So I appreciate the states that do it, and I appreciate that California sent a ballot to every registered voter in the state this year because of the pandemic, and I wouldn't be at all surprise if we make this change permanent. So while it pains me a little to have done this, I filled out my ballot last night and put it in the mail today. And if I have to adjust to this as a permanent change, I will do it, even if it makes me a little sad.

And hey, just like in 1992, they included a sticker! Next Tuesday, I will wear it with pride, even if I never end up leaving the house. Such is civic participation during a global pandemic.