Election Night

Perhaps not all of you realized that I went twenty-seven years, four months, and fourteen days of my life without voting in an election. At eleven, I was told I wasn't old enough. At fifteen, I was told I could drive to the voting site with my dad in the car, but still wasn't old enough to actually vote. At nineteen, I became very excited about writing in a vote for Shaquille O'Neal, but was warned over and over and over again that it would be a waste of time. Apparently black people just didn't get elected president. Then, at twenty-three, I was entirely caught up in a new relationship with some girl named Kelly...I don't remember anything else from that year.

So here we arrive in 2004, and there was nothing stopping me this time. I got my Mebane voter registration card (a phrase I was sure I'd never speak in ten lifetimes, but there it is) and headed to the polls after work! Now, many people here had voted early, including Kelly, with an average wait time of about one hour, forty-five minutes. I wanted to do the same, especially because this promised to be an extremely busy work week for me, but Mebane was just too far from work to make it feasible. And there was no way I was getting up early to vote early. I could have just as easily painted myself red and attended every NC State home game this year.

So I went at the latest possible time, the evening of Election Day, ready with a book and iPod to wait out the necessary 105 minutes. A full fourteen minutes later, I had cast my vote and was headed home with an hour and half added back into my life! Apparently nearly everyone had voted early.

At any rate, I have now voted, and I hope most of you were able to take your own part in democracy today, with or without a fourteen-minute book and iPod marathon vote. Just know that by this time in 2012, I will be looking for your vote during my highly-publicized run for president. Thank you in advance for your support.