Election Day - Part II

Almost 4-month-old Little in patriotic Election Day clothes

No, I haven't voted yet. I'm biding my time, waiting for C to get home from the hospital, so that we can vote as a family.

I think that voting as a family as often as possible is good for kids. Taking them to the polls is, too. It models for them responsible citizenship. 

I remember my parents sitting up at night with as much election material as they could gather -- before the internet made research that much easier -- to figure out how to vote their always-complicated-in-Arizona ballots. Then, on Election Day, we would all trudge to the Mountain Club Clubhouse, Mom and Dad would vote, and we would head home to watch the results.

My parents' polling place for many years
Photo found here.

Watching this taught me to be an informed voter, to always vote, and to engage in the political process from start to finish. They never told me any of this. They simply showed me. I was excited to turn 18, not to "do what I want," but to register to vote. I cast my first ballot that fall in a municipal election to the cheers of the poll workers who didn't believe I was old enough to vote until my name was, indeed, on the register.

Totally off-topic, but I wrote two patriotic poems of note in elementary school. I can only remember a couple of lines from 5th grade's "Election Day:"

Election Day
Election Day
So many things to vote for
Election Day
Election Day

But I remember every word of my equally free verse (but admittedly shorter) 3rd grade offering, in part because I recited it for the school board during our patriotic program for them (where I was also introduced to "God Bless the USA" -- blame my teachers).

Americans are prouder than the proud
Freer than the free
And happier than the happy
Are you an American?
If you are show it
Be a proud American

 I mean it when I say Little was lucky blessed beyond belief hit the jackpot when she wasn't born on July 4.

Edited because I moved a sentence using cut/paste instead of copy/paste. No one needs to read the same sentence twice. Not even one as riveting as mine.