You can vote early in person in Santa Clara County, so right after my son's soccer game, off I went. The County Registrar of Voters is about 15 miles away from where I live, and I felt tears come as I made my way off the highway toward the large government office building. It was 10am on this Saturday morning. And already there was a line.
I asked the security guard to take this picture of me and he gladly obliged. Minutes later a kind but firm official informed me that under California law, campaign materials are prohibited within 100 feet of the voting booth and my t-shirt is considered campaign materials. I
said I'd heard about that but thought it was an Internet hoax. He smiled and said, "Nope, it's California law." So I said, "well it's important to follow California law" and then I scooted off to the bathroom to turn my shirt inside out. I'm not here to argue the finer points of what makes something campaign materials, I'm here to vote.
And vote I did.
It's kindof anti-climactic, at least for me anyway. The person next to me probably got a kick out of the fact that I spent just as much time photographing my marked ballot as I did voting. Corny, I know but I just wanted a record. Something to show my grandkids, "Yes, I voted for the candidate who turned out to be the first black president of the United States."
Obama. I voted for him today. For our future as a nation. For my Dad.
And for me.
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