I voted today. Just a minute ago, during what I thought was going to be a "lunch rush". But I forgot that I live in a quiet little valley where things are pretty sleepy during the daytime. I'm so glad that I didn't have to wait and stress about it. As they handed me that blue voter card thing, I felt my eyes pop out of my head and the wheels in my mind just jerk to an immediate stop as I realized I've never, ever voted on anything remotely electronic before!! What happened to good ol' paper ballots that you have to punch cute holes in? Where MY fingerprints are ALL over it and I know I punched those holes, cause I looked and MADE SURE!! It was even stranger to be handed a voting card by a seemingly 15 year old boy. Okay, he probably had to be 18, but he barely shaves and he can't have a clue about voting, or what it means if he has his ipod in his ears the whole time. And you should have seen HIS FACE when I let my eyes pop out of my head in wonderment on this electronic voting idea. I could have sworn he looked at ME like I was an alien - or a completely non-computer savvy person. Which, I'm no WHIZ at, but I've got some skills in the computer department... So I walked around the table, and looked at the selection of voting machines available. There were several, I'd say almost ten available. I chose a quiet one in the corner to be able to channel that inner voice (aka The Holy Ghost) to help me pray for the ENTIRE COUNTRY as we cast ballots today. I quite frequently pray for the leaders of our church, other churches and nations... but how often have I prayed for voters nationwide? Never. That was humbling. I can still feel it in my heart. The weight of our country's votes is huge! I'm worried. I'm scared. And we haven't felt any of this "economic turmoil" that the world has felt, that even my own blessed neighbors complain about. I'm blessed in such a special way I guess, to not feel that. I'm scared for our country because I've noticed the selection for elected officials is getting slimmer and well, our choices have not been very shiny examples of people that I personally want to lead me into the future. I hear so much negative campaigning, so many rude and uninformed comments that I don't know whom to trust outside of the promptings I feel. I slid the card in the slot (that the BOY told me is in the upper right hand corner) and waited for anything... the building to blow up, the computer to start smoking... anything. And I got nothing for a second. Oh, maybe you have to really PUSH it in a little more. I did, and the computer popped up with an information filled page of words. I read every one, well, until I got the main idea of how this works. Touch where you want to mark, if you don't like that selection, touch it again and mark the one you wished you'd marked in the first place. Then the BIG question came. Who would you like to vote for for the next President and Vice-President of the United States of America? The fear, the tension, the stress again filled my soul as I offered up a silent pleading to my Father in Heaven to guide me, the nations' voters, AND whichever idiot we collectively elect. I selected my choice, and moved on. Each page thereafter I knew exactly whom I was voting for because I'd read my handy voter thing from the post office. I based 90% of my selection on that information solely. I was glad there were only 5 amendments to our Utah Constitution up for voting, and really glad that at least two of them were no-brainers! Then came the eternally long list of judges! These folks interpret laws on a state level, they really hold us in their hands. I know next to nothing about them. This part was hard, but I cast my votes.
Whew! All done. Oh, not quite, you get to go back over your answers, not one time, not two times, but THREE times. It is there on the screen and you can select print if it looks right to you, or reject and do it all over again (I resisted the urge to do it again). THEN it prints it out on a grocery store receipt thing to your right. Handy. I looked at it carefully for the most important decisions to me- they were correct well, they were as I intended them to be. Then to the next page, double check your answers/selections and again on a third page. Next you get to decide if even all of THAT was right, or as you intended it to be. That would make three chances you have to re-vote. I selected to cast my ballot instead of doing it over. (And I didn't want to break the machine, they can't be cheap.) Grabbed my little blue voter card and walked away to the next table where I saw the "I VOTED" stickers being handed out.
The guy handing them out was interesting. I said, "Oh, now I get a fancy sticker, Yeah!" and held open the top corner of my coat so he could apply it to my right shoulder. He said, "Oh we can't get that close or we'd be dating!" and laughed as I took it from him and placed it MYSELF on my sweater. What ever happened to being okay with being touched? I wouldn't sue him for putting a sticker I wanted him to put on my sweater, on my sweater... Now if he made a quick grab at anything else there would be some debate, but just to put a silly sticker on me? WOW! So off I went. As I left the library doors, I whispered, mostly to myself, "whew, glad that is over with!" and the lady from the first check in table said, "I know!" and went back to reading her book. I waddled back out to my car. Holding my belly that protrudes from my coat like I'm 7 months or so along (take note I'm 17 weeks and two days today, that puts me in my 4th month!) and taking my time getting back to my car. The grass is wet, the air is clean crisp and cool, my back hurts, my belly hurts and I can't wait to get home and pray some more for our country's wellbeing and to take a nap. I still wish I could bring my cute doggie inside to nap by the fire with me. She is very good inside, even though she's strictly to be an outside dog. One day I'll win that argument with my husband. One day I'll have a dog with me everywhere I go, and not a pocket pal either.
A big dog. The one I've got right now would work just fine. She's a treat.
Blue Houdini Princess. Here's to you pal and our long strolls in the back 40 where no one can bother us as we enjoy nature and smells and each other.
Yes, just look at her adoringly looking at Mike.
Amazing isn't it, how the one that proclaims the least gets the most?
Whew! All done. Oh, not quite, you get to go back over your answers, not one time, not two times, but THREE times. It is there on the screen and you can select print if it looks right to you, or reject and do it all over again (I resisted the urge to do it again). THEN it prints it out on a grocery store receipt thing to your right. Handy. I looked at it carefully for the most important decisions to me- they were correct well, they were as I intended them to be. Then to the next page, double check your answers/selections and again on a third page. Next you get to decide if even all of THAT was right, or as you intended it to be. That would make three chances you have to re-vote. I selected to cast my ballot instead of doing it over. (And I didn't want to break the machine, they can't be cheap.) Grabbed my little blue voter card and walked away to the next table where I saw the "I VOTED" stickers being handed out.
The guy handing them out was interesting. I said, "Oh, now I get a fancy sticker, Yeah!" and held open the top corner of my coat so he could apply it to my right shoulder. He said, "Oh we can't get that close or we'd be dating!" and laughed as I took it from him and placed it MYSELF on my sweater. What ever happened to being okay with being touched? I wouldn't sue him for putting a sticker I wanted him to put on my sweater, on my sweater... Now if he made a quick grab at anything else there would be some debate, but just to put a silly sticker on me? WOW! So off I went. As I left the library doors, I whispered, mostly to myself, "whew, glad that is over with!" and the lady from the first check in table said, "I know!" and went back to reading her book. I waddled back out to my car. Holding my belly that protrudes from my coat like I'm 7 months or so along (take note I'm 17 weeks and two days today, that puts me in my 4th month!) and taking my time getting back to my car. The grass is wet, the air is clean crisp and cool, my back hurts, my belly hurts and I can't wait to get home and pray some more for our country's wellbeing and to take a nap. I still wish I could bring my cute doggie inside to nap by the fire with me. She is very good inside, even though she's strictly to be an outside dog. One day I'll win that argument with my husband. One day I'll have a dog with me everywhere I go, and not a pocket pal either.
A big dog. The one I've got right now would work just fine. She's a treat.
Blue Houdini Princess. Here's to you pal and our long strolls in the back 40 where no one can bother us as we enjoy nature and smells and each other.
Yes, just look at her adoringly looking at Mike.
Amazing isn't it, how the one that proclaims the least gets the most?
2 comments:
I read your blog before I went and voted, so going in there I was fully prepared! Thanks!!! :-)
Isn't it so great that we can vote? I was a little intimidated too when I first saw the electronic voting things last year.. it is amazing how "technical" our lives are getting. But it is also amazing that we could find out who won the election just a few hours after the polls closed.
I am glad you did your civic duty. Way to go Vicki! :)
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