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.
Another election season has come to an end and I want to give a huge round of applause to all of you – voters, League Leaders, poll workers, poll watchers! Many of you worked tirelessly registering voters at thousands of registration events, providing millions of voters with the information they needed through printed materials, online resources, hosting candidate debates and forums, encouraging your friends and family to vote, and engaging your community in other ways.
Under the threat of the imminent arrival of Hurricane Sandy, preparations continued for the arrival of seventy civil society and government representatives from twenty-two countries in the Broader Middle East and North Africa (“BMENA”) region to participate in the Sub-Ministerial Meeting of the 9th Forum for the Future on November 1-2, 2012, in Washington DC.
Although Sandy created havoc for many participants due to thousands of flight cancellations, in the end, only four of the civil society participants were unable to make the meeting on time.
We’ve been working towards Election Day for months if not years and it is finally here.
I voted this morning at my public library today in the battleground state of Virginia. Arriving before 8 am, I was surprised to see the line of mostly young professionals already snaking through the parking lot and down the sidewalk. I should have brought coffee, I grumbled to myself.
I buttoned up my coat and got in line. After several years of voting absentee as a student, this was my first chance to vote in person for our next president. I couldn’t wait to wear that “I Voted” sticker!
“Thanks for calling the League, how may I assist you?” This question, and its many variations, seem to echo from every office as LWV staff members work together to ensure that citizens across the country are able to exercise their right to vote today. The last few weeks have been especially busy around here, and as I take a moment to reflect on my recent interactions I can’t help but feel sincerely grateful for this experience.
Like so many voters in battleground states, my oldest son, age 26 and living in Charlottesville, VA, has long ago stopped watching TV (except for such essential viewing as ESPN, University of Georgia football and the NFL) because of the incessant, negative political ads. However, his vote will really count so nothing could stop him from going to vote this morning at 6 am when the polls opened in Virginia.
Today’s the day – it is time for you to take control over what happens to your family and community.
I want to make sure you saw President MacNamara’s blog post from yesterday. Do you need help finding your polling place or your candidate information? VOTE411.org has all the information you need to cast your ballot today, including special information for those recovering from Hurricane Sandy
