Doing Our Civic Duty - November 4, 2008

The day dawned bright and full of hope. We were full of hope because it was.... (wait for it).... Election Day! Our hope hinged on the fact that after this momentous day we would no longer be bombarded with ominous ads stating that if we voted for "the other candidate" life as we know it would come to a violent and abrupt end. Hope that our telephone would not ring constantly throughout the day with pre-recorded messages about when to vote, where to vote, who to vote for and the dire consequences of what would happen if we didnt! Hope that, indeed, the madness of an election year was finally coming to an end.

So the two brothers set out to assist their parents in this vital of all civic duties - voting. Had I planned ahead, I probably could have gotten them both registered to vote even though they were siginificantly under age. After all, this is New Mexico where dead people and pets routinely fill the voter rolls - why not a two year old and an infant?

So with the confidence of seasoned voters, we Dixons made our way to the polls. The ballot was absurdly long this year. Not only was it a presidential election, but many members of the house and senate (both federal and local) were up for re-election. And let's not forget the numerous Constitutional Amendments and judges that need the careful consideration by us - the voting populace.

I shan't bore you with the details. Circles were filled in, pens were chewed in perplexity, sighs were heaved in disgust. All in all, a normal voting experience.

Asher helped me sort through the many complex and important issues presented. He had some really amazing insights for a two year old. Particularily the suggestion that I just vote out of office everyone who was currently in office. Saves time and having to follow all those pesky issues and policies, he explained.

Dexter, while a man of few words, still made pretty plain how he felt about the whole campaign season thus far. Had he been able to voice an opinion, it probably would have been, "Put me back in! It's nuts out here!" Thus the drawback of being born one month before the election. But I tried to explain to him that it is usually not like this and it only happens once every four years. I'm not sure he's convinced...