I Voted. Will You?

Yesterday, I went to the Election Commission headquarters here and voted early.&nbsp  Not all states allow this, and South Carolina calls it “In-Person Absentee,” apparently, but in my case, since I’ll be at work all day on Tuesday, breaking away to vote would have been difficult (and perhaps impossible), especially considering the lines they’re expecting.

I arrived and got into one long, winding line to actually register to vote.&nbsp  They ask why you want to vote early, and as long as it meets their criteria, they approve you, take your ID and register you in the system.&nbsp  You are then directed to a second line that takes you to the actual voting machines.

Considering it’s a beaurocratic process, it is surprisingly efficient.&nbsp  The lines do move fairly quickly. Faster, in fact, than they typically do on Election Day itself.

Still, it took about an hour and a half to vote.&nbsp  Not because of problems with their set-up, not because of problems with the machines.&nbsp  The only “problem” was that there were just that many people there to vote.&nbsp  Already.&nbsp  And that’s not a problem at all:&nbsp  it’s wonderful that there are that many more people who are finally waking up to the fact that not only can they have a voice in this country, but that it’s something they actually should do.

Election Day is going to be a long day in many ways. But I hope you’ll all go and be part of the process.&nbsp  No matter who you vote for, you owe it to yourself to make the effort.&nbsp  And please don’t fall victim to the “my voice won’t count” crap some like to toss around to discourage you from showing up:&nbsp  at some point, you have to have at least a little faith in the process, and the only tried and true way to guarantee beyond any doubt at all that your voice won’t be heard is to not vote at all.&nbsp  That’s not really what you want, is it?