The 2004 General Election Today is the day of reckoning: the general election. If turnout at the carpenter's union hall where I cast my ballot this morning is any indication, turnout is going to be heavy. It took 40 minutes for me to wend through the line and cast my vote. I thought about complaining once, but then my memory took me back to the TV newscasts of South Africa's first presidential election, in which people voting for the first time ever stood in line for hours for the opportunity. Meanwhile, I'm sure many Americans, upon seeing lines flowing out the doors at some polling places, decided to take a pass at having a hand in this historic election.
There's more than the presidency at stake, of course. In my little town of Rolla, Missouri, there are some hotly contested races: for 149th district state representative, for sheriff, for circuit judge. There's also an amendment on the ballot regarding the use of some general revenue funds in Missouri. These positions and amendments matter, too, and may affect our lives on a microcosmic level even more than the Bush-Kerry contest. Every election matters. Every vote counts.