I voted

"I voted sticker" by Dwight Burdle.
Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. CC BY 3.0.

I woke up this morning remembering the first time I voted. It was the 1980 (!) presidential election. For one brief weird moment, my brothers Frank and Charlie and myself were all living in Greenville, North Carolina, and I think all attending East Carolina University as well.

We had to drive from Greenville to Swansboro, North Carolina (about a 2-hour trip one-way) to vote. As students, we weren't allowed to vote locally but had to go to our home polling station. I think the polls were located at the Swansboro post office or city hall--I can't remember for sure.

Afterwards we probably went to our parents' house for dinner. Maybe we drove back to Greenville that evening. I don't recall.

I don't even recall who I voted for. Was John Anderson running that year? Along with Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan? It's kind of a blur but one thing shines through --

No way in hell did I vote for Ronald Reagan.

So think about that for a moment--My options that election involved a guy who starred in the movie Bedtime for Bonzo and another guy who drove off a bridge in Massachusetts and left his mistress for dead. I may not have felt passionate about my choice that year, but I hope I at least voted strategically. Some years that is your best option. For many of us this year, that may indeed be our best option, although I remain #WithHer, however cautiously.

Good luck today, America! I miss the thrill (yes, thrill) of voting in person. Absentee ballots may have the cachet of "ex pat" about them, but it's a rather solitary act. Voting should be an exercise in community building. And as with any exercise, it feels good to work that muscle every now and again.

* * *

I get the sinking feeling I voted for John Anderson. So much for voting strategically.