This morning Justin came home from work at 10a.m., asking if I was ready to go vote. Thinking surely not many people would be lined up to vote a full week before election day, we headed off to the library and discovered we were wrong. There was a line wrapped around the building. We left. I told Justin we had done our civic duty. We had tried.
Okay, so that's not all we did. We went back at noon, this time actually casting our votes. I have to admit, I was a little moved to see so many people turning out, and it's not even election day! I sat next to a man with gray hair as I filled out my voter registration, and I heard him say that he was there to vote for the first time in his life. As much as I'm ready for this election, the never-ending attack ads, and the often less than stellar media coverage to be over, I still admire the significance of this election and how it is making more people than ever feel like they have a voice. I am not one of those people, but I am also not a "political person." I feel like I've taken a real stab this year at trying to sort out some semblance of political beliefs, and I feel like I've learned a little, but mostly, I still have no clue how politics can or should ease our country's problems. I may have voted, but I'm still clueless.
I haven't had many comments lately, but maybe the subject of politics will stir some up. I'm curious, what issue(s) are getting you to the polls this year?
5 comments:
I think that the most important issue this election is quite possible that the next president is going to have the ability to appoint one, and possibly 2 supreme court justices this term. Presidents and congressional members can be changed via elections, but the next 2 justices will have profound effects on issues the country faces for quite a while to come.
I agree, Amy, that's a pretty big deal. Thanks for commenting!
And although I'm pretty sure I know the answer, are there issues you are most concerned about these justices addressing?
hey lisa! I voted yesterday and was amazed that I had to wait in line as well. Although, I take my voting very seriously, the political climate and propoganda confuses the snot out of me! I try to boil my voting down to the very important issues like life, marriage and yes, the ability to appoint supreme court judges. When I was 18 and voting in my first presidential election, my parents let me skip school (during my senior year) to do it and it made a profound impact on me of how important of a responsibility it is and what a great privilege we have here in America. I do not take our freedom lightly.
Have a great night!
There are a slew of things that concern me about this election, the supreme court is just the most important. I think the thing that concerns me the most came up during one of the debates...when posed with the question of how the candidates would go about choosing their nominees for the court. One candidate upheld the constitutional way of appointing, not by views, but my merit as a law maker only. The other blatantly said that their nominee(s) must align politically with their views. I am not naive enough to think that both won't take political views into consideration [to an extent], but I believe that it will be a much larger factor for one candidate than another.
I find this deeply disturbing as the court will likely address issues like marriage and abortion in the coming years. I believe that there will be much more legislating from the bench in the future if political views are the primary focus for choosing a potential justice.
Like I said, there are so many issues that persuade me to one candidate over another, but the supreme court appointee(s) will be by far the most lasting effect the next president will have. Bills and tax codes can be changed, but those justices are appointed for life...
Can you tell I am opinionated and a little passionate about all this ;) Thanks for the discussion!
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