Voting

Do you remember the first time you voted?
I do, I remember the excitement the thrill. (I know I'm a political nerd.) I turned 18 in September of an even year, so I got to vote. It was just a local elections, but still it was exciting. My parents are people that believe in the phrase vote early and vote often, well minus the often since its not allowed, but if it was, I'm sure they would vote often. So on a Saturday before the election after my parents had finished yard work, I remember going down to the county court house with them to vote. In my first real election. It was very thrilling, to show my card. But also very nerve wracking to try and get my ballot in the voting box thing, and hope I was doing it right. I remember pulling out my ballot and turning it in, then getting the I voted sticker. Then all of sudden doom came over my good mood, I thought oh my goodness what did I do? How do I know I voted for the best candidate? How can I go home with those choices a made? I was too embarrassed to ask anyone if there was anything I could do. Which I'm sure there wasn't since I already turned in my ballot. But whoa was that a weight on my shoulders, I still don't know if I've recovered. I'll make a confession I felt guilty for voting for a republican for an environmental position. When I think back to that day I still feel like I made a mistake. Although my dad told me in the car on the way home I shouldn't worry about it. Maybe thats why I take my husband and his siblings so serious, when they say voting for the lesser of two evils, is still voting for evil. Who knows.
But still the joys of voting.
The memories of voting.
This past spring was so exciting, I had never voted in a Presidential Primary before. Oh and civil elections voting in my north college town were always fun, they gave you a piece of card stock with a few names and boxes and you take a pencil and mark your choice then put it in a box. Nothing like small towns. I remember the first time I voted on a voting machine, feeling like no matter what I hit on the screen life wouldn't matter, because it could all be hacked anyway. I still think the Presidential primary was the most exciting, boldly talking with my husband about who our choice would be, feeling like these people in our state needed once last chance to hear something about someone other than Romney.