Great Day in the Morning

The husband and I voted first thing this morning, as soon as the polls opened at 7 am. For the first time in our three elections in this town, we had to wait in a real line to vote. It was great.

In this area, polling sites are no longer set up at schools, so we voted at our district site, the El Zagal Shrine (of The Shriners), right next to the El Zagal Golf Course, which is a public course unaffiliated with the Shriners. I was hoping the red neon sign would be lit up, but it was dark. Still, even the darkened sign was inspiring against the sunrise. The scimitar, crescent, and star made me feel even more sure that I was doing the right thing voting for the alleged Muslim presidential candidate.

The line was not too long before the polls opened; it was entirely contained under the awning extending from the front door of the shrine.

By the time we finished voting and came out (the wait was about 15 minutes), the parking lot was full and the line was stretching beyond the awning. We didn't have to worry about parking because we walked. I feel like there's something special about walking to vote, perhaps because my parents always did. Their polling place was close by the house I grew up in.


I am usually pretty skeptical of any predictions about elections, but I do believe we will have record-setting levels of voter turnout this year. I also believe that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States of America.