Forgetting to Exercise My Right To Vote
I looked at the clock. It was 6:55 p.m. and I still hadn’t voted today. Not because I was turned off by the candidates, the barrage of abusive political ads and empty promises.
I simply lost track of time.
I got up this morning, whirred around the house to get everyone ready for school. The family headed out the door and I made a mental note to vote on the way home. I was pretty aware of the issues and who I wanted for what positions, so it wouldn’t take long.
Naturally after dropping off the kids, my mind was racing with different iterations of my To Do list: Buy diapers, return Ken’s email, check on Huffington Post piece, check my account balance, wash the boy’s clothes, I wonder if I’ll have time for a nap…
I got lost in the busyness of my day and didn’t vote. That is sad and shameful, but there is a bit of triumph in it. Bear with me as I explain.
It wasn’t so long ago that black people voting in America was a big deal. Though black men legally had the right to vote since 1870, many Americans worked tirelessly to keep blacks from the polls. They created unreasonable hoops for blacks to jump through and used good old-fashioned intimidation to disenfranchise us. Then thousands of blacks and whites starting making amazing sacrifices to change this, they were beaten, firebombed and even killed. So that I could vote.
Me. They sacrificed to give me a voice in the political process.
It’s sad that I got too focused on my To Do list and let the importance of the day slip my mind. It’s also a historical triumph in that me going to the polls isn’t a racially charged issue anymore. No one so much as raises an eyebrow when me and my brown skin waltz into my voting precinct. And I don’t think about it either.
Like I said earlier, the time was 6:55 p.m. I was getting ready to put Ethan to bed, he was in his PJs and we were walking to his room. When it dawned on me that I was about to miss my first election since turning 18, I tossed my kid into my mom’s arms. (My parents are visiting.) I galloped down the stairs shouting that his bottle was ready and that my mom had all she needed to put him to bed.
The polls close at 7 p.m. and mine is close to my house. I briefly considered running there, but instead grabbed the keys and ballet flats and headed out the door. I screeched into the parking lot and ran inside. I didn’t care how silly I looked hauling ass to vote, blood was shed so that I could do this.
After busting through the door, a Justin Beiber-haired poll worker greeted me with a smile and his hand on the thick voting roll. “What’s your last name?”
I smiled, I’d made it. It was 6:58 p.m.
Good for you! I’m ashamed to say I also forgot. I can’t believe I forgot. And I only remembered as I was getting a pedicure at 6:45pm. But did I jump up and go vote? No. I rationalized that I hadn’t done enough research (I hadn’t. I knew only one candidate, really). Pooh on me.
Hey, these things happen. I was a near miss, so I barely made it. I don’t always know all of the ins and outs of the ballot either, but if I have a decent idea, I’m fine with exercising my right. 🙂 Oh, and good for you on the pedi! Happy to see you taking time out for yourself.
It really is silly that most primaries and elections are held on Tuesdays. I read recently that the reason it is on a Tuesday is farmers back in the day found it easier to get to the polls on a Tuesday. In this age, a Saturday would be more appropriate. At least then we would be able to take our children and teach them why voting is so important.
Thanks for your comment! I agree it’s kinda nuts that we have this tie to vote on a Tuesday based on the life constraints of 1845. There’s a lot of people who say it’s the inconvenience that keeps them from the polls and I believe there’s a grassroots group that’s pushing to change our voting day, but it’s lost momentum in recent years. When I was working full time, it was a scramble to try to get to the polls, especially since my work on that day would be all about the elections. One of my former co-workers does early voting so that he doesn’t have to be bothered with the juggling work and voting thing.
Thank you so much for voting. I worked as an election judge on Tuesday in a precinct that has 1172 registered voters, 175 of them showed up to vote. As an African American female who grew up in Alabama and saw the price we paid to get the right to vote, I am sadden by the lack of participation of all Americans in the election process. However, I am especially sadden by the apathy of my sisters and brothers. I have heard all of your excuses, but how can you expect change if you do not participate in the process?
It’s my pleasure to vote! Also, thank YOU for being an election judge. That’s a noble, unthankful job. (I think I just made up a word. :s ah well.) I too get frustrated that black people do not vote near as much as they should. Many subscribe to the “one vote doesn’t count” method. And as far as the excuses, they’re just that excuses. It is sad and my friend put a status update yesterday that said: “It’s Election Day in Illinois. Get out there and vote. If you don’t vote, don’t bitch because you lost that right when you didn’t go to the polls.” Well put, eh?