My Adventures on Election Day 2010

On November 2nd, 2010, my husband Ronnie and I joined my neighbor of 7+ years on a journey, an adventure (so to speak), to be apart of the people in deciding the fate of our state. The event was held at our children’s school and on the way there, debate and discussion took place. We didn’t hear “Mom, I don’t like reading.” Or “There aren’t enough balls and jump ropes on the playground.” Instead, our minds were steadfast on the task at hand. M We took each candidate and proposition apart on the short ten minute walk. My husband voted the way I did on the major issues (for governor-Nightingale, on prop. 19- legalize it, and on prop. 23- vote no….HELL NO!) ect.
Polling places almost always seem to be run by either young, newly-turned 18 year olds with a power trip or old people who don’t give a shit about what you think. As far as their concerned, we are all idiots and we don’t remember what it was really like to vote back in their day. We got the former. I was the first one in the room. I proceeded to stand behind someone already in line waiting to sign their name and get their ballot. “Can you please wait by the door?” Empress Young Ass declared, motioning me back. As I slunk back to the doorway, I couldn’t help but think about the task at hand. ‘Did I study the issues enough?’ ‘What if I make a mistake?” MISTAKE?! This whole thing is a mistake!

Growing up, my father complained about the politics of the day and one thing I remember him complaining about the most was Jerry Brown. “He’s a screw up! I can barely afford my house note as it is…how can he be against prop. 13?! Where does he get his figures from?” And so on. Fast forwarding to the here and now and my responses, the questions are the same but different. “Didn’t we do this ‘Jerry Brown thing’ already? Clean energy jobs….where?”

It was finally my turn. I got my ballot and found an open booth. The propositions were easy. It was like taking an algebra quiz with the formula clearly understood…anything that would cost me money, short term or long, gets a ‘no’ vote. But the votes for various political offices had no formula. The two main idiots running for governor could not, did not and would not get my vote. The way their campaigns were ran were shameful at best. To vote for either one of them would surely doom the state to political and financial ruin. So I ‘threw away’ my vote and gave it to an unknown. I knew she wouldn’t win but then, the candidate that makes the most sense usually doesn’t. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Barbara Boxer had long since ran her course and needed to go….quietly….far away…forever. And just because her eyes freak me out in combination with that voice, Pelosi had to go too.

After my act of casting my vote was over, I sat outside of the school waiting for my husband to finish voting ( I still don’t know why it took him soooo long, I circled every answer for him on the sample ballot…go figure.) I reflected with my friend on what we just accomplished. Before heading back home, it was decided that it didn’t matter how we voted. We voted because it was our privilege to vote. We both came from backgrounds in which our ancestors did not have this privilege and besides, we are both women and we knew the suffrage movement wasn’t for nothing.

I wasn’t surprised or even upset that my key players for this game were knocked out. Even some of the props I voted on were left on the proverbial voting floor, left, essentially dead. Still, I did my duty and will continue to do so as long as it remains my right. I just need to remember to get my crystal ball fixed before the next election.

t.j velasco