I got my sticker

At around 9:10 this morning I turned in my vote-by-mail ballot and got my sticker. Rock on.

I spoke with my friend Jini today, who is currently living in Texas while attending college, and she explained the excitement of today pretty well: "It's like a sporting event." People are watching this election like no other. It's almost creeping into the realm of pop-culture. The country has never been more uniform in its issues that we want resolved, and I've seen more enthusiasm about politics than you can shake a stick at... and I'm talking about a really big stick.

Hopefully all this excitement, enthusiasm and action will carry through past the election. The worst thing any of us can do is vote for someone and then sit around waiting for him and his people to make things better. Hopefully people are adamantly pumped this time around because they see what's going on, have chosen a candidate they think can lead the change/reform, and plan on staying active to help implement the changes after he's elected. Because if everyone actually did that... well, let's just say we could start patting each other on the back for figuring something out for once. There is no "I" in "team" -- this is not a one-man job -- our responsibility is not over once we drop the ballot in the little slot.

Can I get a hi-five?

Electificate '08

I voted! Well, I haven't turned it in yet, but I filled out an absentee (or vote-by-mail, as they call it now) ballot, so my vote has been inked. I'm not going to be out of town on Nov. 4th. In fact, I don't have much going on that day, and my polling place is literally across the street from my apartment. I chose to go with the vote-by-mail option so that on Nov. 4th I can go to my polling place and turn in a paper ballot that must be counted by hand (I could mail it, but I want to make sure it gets there, and I want the little "I Voted" sticker). After all the crap that's gone on with electronic voting machines (have you seen all the documentaries on how easy it is to hack one of those things???) and voter fraud, I'm not taking any chances. Screw the computer screen, give me a pen and paper. Electronic voting might be monumentally faster to count, but seeing as how there are people who can't be trusted to act with integrity and honesty and who choose to try and mess with the rest of us, I think patience is a small price to pay for accountability and accuracy.

I'm not saying it's all going to go smoothly now that I've chosen against electronic voting machines. In fact, I'm counting (and I'd put money on it, but no one would take the bet) on there being some sort of drama, crisis, uncertainty or suspected fraud surrounding the election results. After what happened in 2000, it's hard to imagine a presidential election, especially one of great importance like this one, to go off without a hitch. So no, my one pink vote-by-mail ballot won't rock the system and eliminate subjugation, but my mommy told me that one person can make a difference, and I love my mom, so don't try to tell me she's wrong.

On a completely different subject, Sierra Nevada's Winter seasonal "Celebration Ale" is officially available. Praise be to BevMo for carrying it in large supply -- what a great beer! Cheers, and happy voting!