At 6:53 on November 5, 2024, Allen and I took our place as number 11 and 12 in the line awaiting the opening of our Lamar County polling place. By the seven o’clock opening, the line had doubled. It would triple by the time we cast our votes. One of the election officials said she had done this for many years and had never seen anything like this. The diehard reds and blues, as well as those of us who consider ourselves purple and have voted both ways over the years, know that this is a crucial election.
I observed the people gathered, who were mostly carrying on lighthearted conversations sprinkled with laughter but keeping their thoughts on the candidates to themselves. They came in scrubs, in a multitude of colors since this is a medical area. One lady had a bright red stylish dress and heels like she was heading to some kind of fun afterwards. Men had on suits or t-shirts atop worn jeans. One father had brought his two grade school boys who would see democracy in action before heading to school. There was a common sense of excitement of the privilege of voting among people who may have been divided about which candidates where best – perhaps even cancelling the vote of the spouse who rode to the polling site with them.
Regulations were followed about how close signs could come to the polling area. Surprisingly, the signage was not as much about candidates as for the local bond issue for public school improvement. As a parent, grandparent, and retired teacher, it was a major concern when I marked my ballot as well.
While I am ready for the vindictiveness of this campaign to be over, I recalled a memory as we waited our turn to vote. Our military family was able to spend a day behind the Iron Curtain in East Berlin before the wall came down. Even the air in that area, where ordinary people had no voice, felt oppressive. I don’t remember any lightheartedness on the faces of the people we met.
The memory reminded me to be grateful that I live in a country that is not even close to perfect but where I get to wear that “I voted” sticker and have a voice.