Please please please, let me, let me, let meeeee get what I waaaaaant this tiiiiime
Election Day is nigh at last; I can’t WAIT to vote. And, honestly, to have this campaign madness over with at last…not to mention the last eight years’ worth.
In case it didn’t go without saying, I hereby and without reservation endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. I urge all American citizens in the readership, regardless of your party affiliation (or lack of same; I’m an independent myself), to vote tomorrow, no matter how cold or rainy it is outside where you are or how long the line is or whatever other minor hassle might prevent you from exercising your right to affect the political future of your country. We’ve all just proven that everyone doing a little adds up to doing a lot; your vote counts. Cast it.
To my international readers: fingers crossed for us, please; we’ll try not to biff it again.
Not sure where to vote, or what you need to bring? PopWatch posted a handy links guide.
Tags: Barack Obama civic duty friends politix sites
Preach it! God, four years ago was a total nightmare. My heart just cannot take that sort of pummeling again.
I’ve been reminding my friends that, while I am firmly in the bag for Obama, I want them to get their asses out to vote regardless of who they vote for. And people, educate yourselves before you go. Seriously.
Here’s to not sleeping tomorrow night, if that’s what it takes! :-D
Oh, and also, if you vote? You can get free donuts and ice cream. Check out Krispy Kreme and Ben and Jerry’s for more details!
Ditto! Every single vote truly does matter- As Al Gore said recently, if an average of only 9 more people per precinct in Ohio had voted in 2004, Kerry would have won. And just think if only a couple thousand more Dems had voted in Florida in 2000!
I got to vote last week (Oregon has a vote-by-mail system, soooo easy) so I salute those of you that will have to wait in line for a long time, and I really hope you will perservere ’til you’re in that booth.
GOBAMA
Thanks for this, Sars. I’ve voted already, but I’ll be volunteering at the polls to help Florida defeat Amendment 2, the deceptively titled “Marriage Protection Amendment.” Unlike Prop 8 in California, the Florida amendment has gotten zero press, so I’m doing what I can to help ensure that Florida doesn’t enshrine discrimination in our state constitution and take away existing domestic partnership statutes.
Voting for President is incredibly important, but in most states there are a slew of other items that voters are being asked to address. I urge all TN readers to obtain sample ballots for their state and figure out what other races, ballot measures, etc. they are being asked to vote on. Local and state election matters often have a much larger impact on your day-to-day life than the national ones. If you don’t know what a proposed amendment is all about, Google it! Check whichever local newspaper you feel best reflects your POV and find out what they had to say. Ask your friends and neighbors. Do not leave the rest of your ballot blank!
And if you’re in Florida, SAY NO TO AMENDMENT 2!
My name is Ibis Lynn, and I approve this message.
I hear ya. For the first time in ages I am voting FOR someone in whom I believe, not just against some fool. I’m excited! Grandmama the suffragist would be excited too, and would also teel you that your vote matters. It totally matters. (And if you don’t vote, you can’t bitch about the government for the next four years.)
Thanks for the PSA, Sars!!!
Okay, Grandmama would not teel you, she was too cool for that. She would TELL you…
Couple-few things:
— Love, love, love that song. Morissey & The Smiths were in heavy rotation during my high school years.
— Definitely GOTV. Hustle yer butts to the polling places tomorrow, if you haven’t early- or absentee-voted already!
— And finally, a plea to fellow Californians: vote no on prop 8, pretty please? I’m thoroughly disgusted by the attempts to equate a gay marriage ban with: 1) religious freedom, 2) the preservation of marriage (say what??) and 3) protecting the innocence of Kindergarteners. I mean, come on.
Ibis Lynn,
I have found that one of the best voter resources for me (I’m in NY) was at the league of women voters’ website. They have all of the low down on all of the races and the pros and cons for local propositions. You can also find out where your polling place is and what districts you vote in. Check them out at http://www.lwv.org/Election2008/index.html and they are nonpartisan.
Vote!
Uggghhhh. Prop 8 in CA: this morning on my way to work I saw a man with a huge sign that said “YES ON PROP 8: PROP 8 = FREE SPEECH”. I almost missed the light I was sitting at because I was so confused at to how they reached that conclusion.
I registered my husband to vote and we will both be there first thing in the morning. Obama! NO on prop 8! Just vote please!
I may not sleep *tonight*, I am so keyed up about tomorrow. I voted on Oct. 22 (very nearly 2 million of my state’s 9 million residents have already voted), so all I have to do is wait. Argh.
Also on the “free stuff” tip, Starbucks is doing free coffee for voters tomorrow.
Barack the vote, y’all!
“Oh, and also, if you vote? You can get free donuts and ice cream. Check out Krispy Kreme and Ben and Jerry’s for more details!”
And a free tall coffee at Starbucks, and if you’re in NYC, a free sample-sized hair care product of your choice at the Ted Gibson salon.
I volunteer for Obama’s campaign so my preference is clear, but I have been urging everyone I know to vote regardless of their candidate of choice. (Basically, what FloridaErin said.) I’m so excited but also so nervous, because it did not occur to me that we could be in for two Bush terms, and then … yeah. So no laurel-resting. PLEASE vote.
As a relatively new US citizen, I’m very much looking forward to exercising my civil duty tomorrow, and like so many others, I’m excited by my choice. I’d vote for Obama even if I wasn’t living in Illinois… in fact, I’d feel like my vote might actually count *more* if I’m not in Illinois (c’mon, does *anyone* think McCain has a chance in this state??).
I was here in 2000 and 2004 as well (although not a citizen), and I agree with Mary’s comment. My heart just can’t get stomped on again. It’s definitely time for a change, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to that change!
My partner and I realized yesterday that this presidential race has been going on for our daughter’s *entire life*. She’ll be two soon, and she doesn’t know a world where this election cycle isn’t going on. (Ok, granted. She’s not paying a lot of attention because Elmo isn’t running. But still…)
I’m excited to go vote first, because I hope Obama wins (the last 8 years have drained a lot of my optimism, here, but I’m trying), and second, because I can’t wait for the darn thing to be over, already.
This Californian has already voted absentee (wooo grad school in another state!), so it’s a little bit less exciting than getting to go into the booth. But I am waiting with baited breath! Come on peeps! Get out there and do this thing!
Oh, and in addition to the donuts and ice cream, also there is free Charbucks. If you like that kind of thing. :)
One of the most profound lessons I learned in college didn’t come from the classroom. My boss during those four years was an African-American woman of a certain age who remembered what life was like before the Voting Rights Act. She often worked late, but on election night she left the office in plenty of time to make it to her polling place. She said, “People marched so that I could vote, and I cannot let them down.”
I’d never heard it put that way — that failure to vote when you have the right is a slap in the face to your ancestors who didn’t. I understood this even better when I saw the HBO movie “Iron Jawed Angels” — women marched, women got arrested, women went on hunger strikes so that I could vote. Even white males — ordinary men committed treason against the King of England, jeopardizing their lives and their families’ lives, so that you could choose a president of these free and independent states.
All of us owe our voting rights to someone who took risks, who sacrificed, who gave time and energy and passion to secure your right to have a say. Whether you like the selection of candidates or not, you owe it to the men and women who went before you to go and pick someone, because you sure would miss it if you weren’t allowed to.
I’ll do my best to get Barry in the OO.
“Please please please, let me, let me, let meeeee get what I waaaaaant this tiiiiimeâ€
My sentiments exactly, Sars! I keep having these weird little revelatory moments when I suddenly think, “Hey, Obama might actually win! Holy cow!” Like it’s a surprise every time.
And preach it, Snarkmeister! Please get out the NO vote on Prop 8, all you fellow Californians. Happy Voting!
So with you Snarkmeister. My mail in ballot only arrived on Saturday, so it will be dropped off instead of mailed in, but I can’t believe how many important items are on there – between prop 8 (don’t forget…if gays can be married, soon people will be able to marry animals! Seriously- that’s their argument?) and the mass transit and the green initiative…there’s some big stuff out there. VOTE!
I am a resident alien in the USA, with citizenship in the UK. This is what I have pledged:
** If Obama wins, I will apply for US citizenship.
I like to think I’ve got a good shot because I’ve been living here and paying taxes for years, and my husband is American. I haven’t been able to pull the trigger before because I didn’t feel I was *really* ready to say “I Am American”. This election has proved me wrong. I’ve been glued to campaign coverage, and realized that I wish I could vote. I feel hopeful in my heart of hearts that if Obama wins the country will be headed in the right direction — something I want to be able to vote for and encourage and be part of.
** If McCain wins my family and I will be looking seriously at moving beck to England.
Sad to say, but I am treating my UK citizenship as a “get out of jail free” card. America is a wonderful place, but I’ve been unhappy with the direction this country has taken. Unable to vote, so I can’t really complain. But, I haven’t *wanted* to vote because there hasn’t been leadership to take us in a new direction…
…until now. GO OBAMA!!
Ditto everything and times it by two for the state of Arizona.
AZ Prop 102 stating marriage is between “one man and one woman” is an AMENDMENT to the friggin’ state constitution. The passing of it would make it ridiculously difficult to get it off the books since it would take an amendment to the amendment, or whatever-the-heck.
The proponents think that it didn’t pass when we voted on this nonsense LAST YEAR b/c that version would have eliminated benefits for hetero couples that live together but aren’t married. Yeah, b/c it’s not that we’re actually in a state with tolerant people instead of prejudiced jacka$$es, it’s because we’re terrified of hurting the non-marrying heteros. HAAAAAAATE!!
Let’s hear it for AZ leaning towards the middle ground. Pink state down, here we come light blue!
My fingers are most definitely crossed. I can assure you that we Canadians (yes, I do speak for all of them, as a matter of fact) have been watching this campaign very closely.
You know, considering how many political ads we have to sit through just so we can watch your delicious American television programs, we really should be able to vote in your elections. I’m just saying.
But Snarkmeister, between loving adults marrying the companion of their choice and Obama wanting to provide funding to younger kids for health care—WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?????
I too voted by mail, and had to resist “making any extra marks on the ballot” by circling my vote in heavy red ink. VOTE OR BE DAMNED TO YE!
Going to the OBAMA party in grant park tomorrow night!!!!!
@Ibis- Keep it up! Already voted and I’ve got my No on 2 button proudly displayed. I cannot BELIEVE this hasn’t gotten more attention. And yeah, the name makes me want to punch things. What, exactly, is placing marriage in danger? My husband and I think we’re a much bigger threat to our marriage than domestic parntership. ;-)
I’m jumping on the “Please vote, even if you don’t live in a swing state” bandwagon. Up here in Massachusetts (aka: “fake” America) we have a ballot question that will de-criminalize pot, which ABOUT F$%# TIME!!
Also, a ballot measure that will ban dog racing- I don’t care about gambling, but I like dogs better than people, and the treatment of racing greyhounds is absolutly appalling.
Please vote, even if you don’t live in one of the few states that are in play.
NO ON 1 IN MASSACHUSETTS!!!!!! I’d like to keep my job thankyouverymuch. Also Yes on 2 and 3 would be cool as well.
This’ll be only my third presidential election and I really really hope it goes my way this time, if only to know how it feels for the person I voted for to actually win for once (I voted for Hillary in the primary.) I just don’t think I could handle another crushing loss.
Let’s see:
Set alarm for 5:45 a.m. Central time
Wake my 14-yr-old so he can come to the polls with me: 5:55 a.m.
Greet the ancient poll workers at my polling place and explain for the hundredth time which (person with my name) I am, since there are three of us.
VOTE! and probably cry a little…
Drop 14-yr-old off at high school, begin pondering how soon to start texting my college sophomore in Lawrence, KS, who will be voting in his first election.: 7:15 A.M.
Compulsively surf CNN.com all day to see what’s going on…skip lunch. Call husband 9 times to make sure he’s voting on his lunch hour…
Go home at 3 to turn on CNN, and leave it there until midnight…….
THIS CAN’T HAPPEN SOON ENOUGH!
I already voted here in GA. 90 minutes in line with my neighbors, all excited about the future of our country. It’s cheaper than a movie and way more important, so do it, even if it takes just as long.
Man, is it wrong to be enamoured of a candidate? Because that man is so smart, and beyond being smart he seems WISE, which is a trait severely lacking in most politicians. Also, his speeches? Genius.
“We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.”
Whoever wrote that? I will personally bake them cookies (it may have been Obama himself… he writes a lot of his own stuff.) Political rhetoric DOES NOT MAKE ME CHOKE UP. But that does.
@Snarkmeister: Yes yes YES a thousand times yes! No on 8 in California. Tell your friends. Also, there is a particularly nasty parental notification for abortion measure on this ballot (Prop 4) that is super close too. So Californians: vote!
My fiance and I went to vote at City Hall Saturday in San Francisco, and let me tell you, it was pouring rain for the first time all year, and people were lined up around the block, soaking wet, waiting to get in. The wait was two hours. But I had a prof once tell me that it’s better for Dems when it rains on election day, something something about Dems are more likely to vote even in inclement weather… so bring on the rain!
PPPLLLEEEAASSEE let him win!
I do believe we will have a record turnout tomorrow. I don’t CARE how long I have to stay in line, I will hang in there and make my little ol’ voice HEARD!!
If I lived in CA I would vote NO for prop 8 a million times if I could.
I must say, I’m feeling much more positive about this election. Four years ago, let’s face it, we had a choice between two evils. Did the people choose the better evil? It would seem not, but I can honestly understand why a lot of people voted against Kerry. This time I think we can actually vote FOR someone who could really be great. Hallelujah.
I can’t vote (wail)… I missed the 30 day cut off in my new state, and my old one doesn’t have my registration from a few years ago (stupid Florida). 30 days before! I missed it by one day, too…!
Words can not describe how upset I am…
I have already voted, since I live in Oregon and voting is filling in bubbles at my kitchen table. However, I just checked the news and saw that as of Thursday, just 37% of registered Oregonians had turned in their ballots. That’s a lot of ballots that can’t be mailed back now and have to be hand-delivered to a ballot box or county elections building by tomorrow.
I’m urging my friends to vote, and get their voices heard! Go Dems and Go Vote!
This Londoner is willing and praying that you will get your wish. It was one of the reasons I donated to Donors Choose – I can’t vote for Obama, but I can make sure that at least some kids see something good this season.
Just a note… his grandmother died today. It’s heartbreakingly sad.
If you have not yet voted, VOTE tomorrow. Stay in line. Stick it out. Bring candy in case a diabetic near you falls out. Bring umbrellas… one for you and a spare, if the weather warrents. Bring a foldy lawn chair for a senior. But vote.
Today, Nov. 3, is my birthday. I know this is a democracy and we all have different opinions etc etc etc, but PLEASE can I have my birthday wish this time? Four years ago my birthday was the day after election day. It was not a very happy birthday. And this year I’m all hyped up and suffering from severe “election overload.”
Best of luck, you neighbours-to-the-South (note the Canadian spelling of “neighbour,” eh?)! I’m watching anxiously and hoping for the same outcome you are, Sars. We just had a federal election here recently and after the lowest voter turnout in history (!), we ended up with the same crappy, conservative government we’ve have for the last several years. (Though, to be fair, as Jon Stewart says, “Now, Canada is a relatively liberal nation. Their Conservative Party is the equivalent of our ‘Gay Nader Fans for Peace’.”) So do, absolutely, get out to vote.
Good luck. We’re thinking of you.
RIP Barack’s grandma :( Now he really really really really has to win! I firmly believe she held on as long as she could…
And even tho I denounced my CA residency (stupid me) VOTE NO ON 8!!!!!!
Tomorrow (or Wednesday) is a new day and I can’t wait!!!!
On the one hand, I wish I was American, so I could vote too. On the other, I’m so glad I’m not American because even though I can’t vote the suspense regarding the outcome is unbearable. I can only imagine what it must feel like for you guys. All my digits are crossed.
My brain at this point? “Blllarrrrrggggh.” I’ve been on the verge of crying/throwing up for a couple of weeks now, so I sure hope I can remember how to read when I get to the polls in the morning. I cannot WAIT to punch that button. YES, WE CAN.
Babeland is giving away free …um… toys: http://tinyurl.com/6rlmnw if you bring in proof of voting. So if you’re in New York or Seattle, you can make yourself feel better (either way) !
Go vote!
Good luck, you guys. Crossing my fingers for all of you (and the rest of us, too). It HAS to work out this time, right?
Also, free coffee at Starbucks! Now someone needs to tell me that Swiss Colony is giving out beef logs to voters, and my civic duty will make my LIFE.
I’m with ya, Sars. Here in Michigan, the commercials have gotten so bad that 95% of all commercials running on TV are politically oriented. I’m near my breaking point, and tomorrow can’t come soon enough.
Luckily I live only 1/2 a block away from my polling place, and so plan on walking there at 6:30 am to get in line for the 7:00 am opening. If the ginourmous lines we’ve seen at the early voting states are any indication, lines will be very long tomorrow, and I want to be right up front to cast my vote as early as possible.
And then? Off to work, then home to a movie-thon, and then an alcohol-induced coma so that I can (hopefully) wake up Wednesday morning and hear the words “Presiden-elect Obama” on the morning news shows. (Seriously, that’s how stressed out this election has me – I can’t even bear to watch a minute of the coverage on tv.)
@JennyM I am so with you. Every time I hear to word election, my gut seizes and I have to take a moment to collect myself. Please please please please please let it happen.
You know what’s awesome? Early voting, because yay for democracy on my schedule. You know what’s not awesome? Early voting, because I hate seeing stupid political ads on TV after I’ve already voted, particularly when they feature John McCain’s slams that are so decidedly weak-ass that seventh graders are cringing. Dude, already voted for the other guy – too little, too….well, everything. Plus, I just love the concept of little kids learning the WASP-y rollcall of presidents and then landing on the awesomely multicultural “and Obama.” Seriously, that makes me want to AWWWW! almost as much as Nikolai.
That said, Barack, your rally tomorrow is making my day a logistical nightmare. I mean, I love you and all (go Maroons!), but I’m seriously not sure if I’ll be able to get home from work with the massive throngs of humanity (they’re anticipating up to 1 MILLION PEOPLE, y’all). Attendees, stay safe and sound – God willing, I’ll be tipping my glass to you tomorrow.
Sars, I’m sure you have minimal control over this, but there is a “Yes on Prop 8” ad floating around your website. I feel a little depressed inside that somebody can manipulate the interwebs to accomplish such a thing.
Anyway, another absentee CA voter here that’s already voted, but I’m going to help my lil sis to the polls tomorrow for her very first election. GO VOTE!
ABSOLUTELY VOTE, yes, regardless of where you are. Of course, this is the presidential election, and that’s the big thing, but your state still has individual elections and ballot questions. Those affect you very directly. Get out and vote!
Rhode Island has two statewide questions this year and my town is proposing six amendments to the local town charter, and that alone would be enough to get me to the polls. The Houe and Senate races (the big ones in Washington as well as the local ones) are going to the incumbents again, and the whole state is going to Obama — conveniently, I am voting for our incumbents as well as the junior senator from Illinois — but it is still very important that I go tell the local town council to stuff it. As I traditionally do, of course.
Getting rid of the commercials will be excellent, for sure. 99% of my TV-watching time is devoted to NESN, and NESN enjoys airing New Hampshire political ads. Just New Hampshire. Haven’t seen another state represented on that network. Well, I did see one Rhode Island ad; alas, it was for Patrick Kennedy, in whose district I do not live.
I’m going to stay up and wait for the news, but it won’t be as much fun without Dan Rather. I fondly remember sitting up late watching the 2000 election coverage, drinking hot chocolate and listening to Dan lose his (already questionable) sanity with increasing rapidity as the night wore on. Made the result of the whole thing a little more bearable, at least for me. Good times. This year, I’ll be spending quality time with Jim Lehrer.