Election memories

On election day in 1988, I was sitting in my fourth grade classroom focused on a math worksheet, when I heard clicking noises come down the hallway. I looked and saw my mom walking down the hallway with our dog Toasty on a leash. She had come to take me out of class for a couple of minutes so that I could be with her while she voted. Several weeks earlier my parents had taken us to a Dukakis rally and I had my red and blue Dukakis/Benson poster proudly displayed in my bedroom.

I looked up hopefully at my teacher, she smiled and waved me out. Toasty was leapingly thrilled to see me and I bent down to give her a hug before we headed downstairs. As I walked into the voting booth with my mom, I was awed that she was letting me help her with such a grown up thing. I don’t remember exactly what the style of voting was in Portland in those days, I believe it was a punch card system, but I can’t be sure. This was just a few years before Oregon went to a mail-in ballot system.

That moment has become an indelible memory in my life, and plays through my head every time I walk into a voting booth in Philadelphia. I always enjoy voting, each time I do it, I am feel a shiver of excitement that I’m being give an opportunity to participate in the process of government. Despite all that’s happened in the world, I am not able to be disillusioned or jaded when it comes to election time. I am always hopeful that my candidates will win and that it will mean better things for this country. Call me hopelessly naive, but I hope that I never lose my sense of hope.

Looking for a little something more? Check out my election day post from last year.

3 thoughts on “Election memories

  1. sherry

    My mom always worked the polls, and one year got assigned to count the absentee ballots. She came home about 5:30 the next morning. I was terrified that something had happened to her.
    I enjoyed my trip tp the polls yesterday with my 5-year-old niece in tow. I felt great that my vote would make a difference in several tight local and state elections. I had faith that Kansas was not going to be all red again – and I was right! Woot!

    Reply
  2. Emily

    Howdy. I was just wondering if you had posted the church pictures from the piano concert. I couldn’t find them, but that could be me, nice and inept. Haha. Glad you enjoyed voting!!! So many people don’t do it or see it as a chore, you are so sweet!!!

    Reply
  3. Jamie

    I love voting for several reasons. The most rediculous reason is that you never know which neighbors you are going to see. Yesterday we ran into Ozzie and the woman who bought our old house. Ivy was in her sling in the booth with me, it was lovely.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *