Today's Weather: Electoralicious

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Nov 4, 2008 1:00PM

Ah, democracy! Today is the most beautiful day we could ask for. And not because of the sunny skies and continued unseasonable warmth with highs in the lower to mid 70s. No, it's because today is when we exercise our right to vote. We know the hip thing now days is to be cynical and say things like, "But my state is going red/blue anyway, so my vote doesn't count," or "Vote early, vote often." Forget that stuff. The second grader in us still sees this opportunity, this privilege to choose our own leader, as something that is amazing. Today, we'll be selecting leaders at all levels of government in all three branches of government. And as the sun sinks and gives way to clear skies and lows in the mid 50s, we'll be watching the returns with anticipation and a touch of nerves. The course of our state and country for the next four years, and beyond, will be set by tonight's results. Well, probably.

Yes, beneath all the cynicism, all the yelling and vitriol, at the very base of it all, is something very grand, very invigorating; it's a chance to have our say, to cast our vote and make our decision and hold our ground. Sure, our candidate might get out-voted and lose (unless he or she still wins the Electoral College or the Supreme Court has to intervene) but still - and call us naive if you want - we get excited not just about the results but about the entire purpose behind this day and the simplistic beauty at the root of it all. The system isn't perfect, but it's what we have. And what we have is the right to make a choice.

And remember: if you don't utilize your right to vote, you revoke your right to bitch about the outcome.

Happy voting!