Election Day

In anticipation of the much-talked-about long lines at the polls, I prepared a thermos full of piping hot, motor-oil coffee, threw a banana in my purse—along with my crisp, new voter registration card—and bundled up in my black fleece pullover and royal blue gloves to make the three block walk to my polling place at 7:30 this morning.

Side note: I was supposed to have been at work at 7:30 a.m.—the original plan was to work until lunch time and hit the polls before the mad after-work rush. My plans changed when my alarm went off at 5:15 a.m., just two hours after I had gotten home from the Bassnectar show at Bedrock. I turned the screeching alarm off and went back to sleep for a couple of hours before dragging myself out of bed and to the polls.

Expecting hundreds of people to be waiting in a line wrapped around the Canton Middle School, my designated polling place, I was shocked at the silence on the streets. Just two small signs—one advocating slots and one supporting Obama—lined the chain link fence near the school’s entrance. I guess Maryland is so blue, that we don’t need pushy campaigners to persuade us to vote for their candidate. The dems know we belong to them, and the republicans consider us a lost cause.

I joined the line, which was spilling out just beyond the doors. There were maybe 25 people ahead of me. Some old timers were grumbling. I’m not sure what for. I was in and out in 15 minutes…barely even had a chance to sip my coffee, much less eat my banana.

I voted for Obama-Biden, like a good MD dem should. I said “yes” to slots and yes to early voting. I didn’t vote for the district court judges, because I know nothing about them. I figure no vote is better than uninformed voting. I also said “yes” to increased funding for schools, arts and culture.