Today is my 3rd presidential election that I have been able to vote in (only my 2nd I have
actually voted in. The first was in college and I forgot about that whole "absentee ballot" thing... whoops). I am not a political person, period. I love the fact that we have a right to vote in this country and I always exercise that right. However, I always go into an election similar to how I went into a final exam in college - never feeling adequately prepared and always cramming up until the last second
(I did graduate college with honors so this method works well for me). I also don't consider myself a straight Republican or a straight Democrat, I will vote based on the individual and their views which always leaves things a little gray when voting
(but I would say I lean more towards the conservative side).
A few things cross my mind today before I hit the polls after work:
1) How qualified am I to vote? As mentioned, I'm sadly not very in tuned to politics so how qualified am I to vote? Will I regret the decision I make in 2 years? I don't feel informed through debates - to me, they both argue valid points and it seems like its hard to get and unbiased opinion from any news source.
2) How much does my vote really count? South Carolina is definitely not a swing state so does my vote
really count? I can definitely say I feel more empowered about my votes being cast on state and local races/issues today then the presidential election.
3) Is change what this country needs right now? I think ultimately that is what this election boils down to
(for me). Does putting a new person in office just mess things up more with a whole new "transition" period? Do we need to let the current POTUS finish/clean up what he has started? Is a fresh set of eyes and new bodies in the White House exactly what we need to turn things around?
I'm not sure the answers to these questions but the important thing about today is that we live in a country where we have the ability to think about these things and right or wrong, whether you live in Ohio or SC, "political" or not we can still cast a vote. So today I am thankful to live in a country that gives us the right to vote.
*Pssst... I also hit over 1,000 page views on the blog. They are probably all from the same 5 people but hey... it's still a big deal! :)