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My First American Election

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Please Note: This blog post was written by our intern, Vegard Tveito

This Election Day I was fortunate enough to be in Washington D.C, with a front seat to the unfolding of an American presidential election. I am a Norwegian student who is taking a semester abroad to study American politics, and I clearly could not have picked a better time to be here.

Though I myself cannot vote in an American election, I have been privileged enough to be able to intern with the League of Women Voters, so I could help encourage others to use their right to vote. On Election Day I volunteered to get people out to vote. It was amazing how proud people were of voting; I saw countless “I voted” stickers, and people were practically bursting with smiles when they told you they had been to the polls. Many had also brought their children with them, not always for logistical reasons, but to show them their democratic duty. The lines were long, and it was pretty cold (well, maybe not for a Norwegian such as myself, but for anyone else). Still, voters endured to prove just how important it is for each and every one to partake in the privilege it is to elect the country’s representatives.

I have always had a strong interest in American society and politics, and have been following the last couple of elections from my home country. I can tell you, it is something completely different to see it up close. The joy, the pride and the persistence of the American voter is something I had never seen, but it is something that thoroughly impressed me.

I had a great Election Day.

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