I have voted in every single election since I turned 18 in March of 1997. My first Presidential Election was the ill-fated election of 2000 that gave us Bush v. Gore. I was a senior in college and cast my ballot as an absentee ballot. I don't think that at the time, I thought that casting my vote in that way held as much weight as I gave my ballot today or subsequently. Today's vote felt much heavier. I arrived at my polling place fifteen minutes before the polls opened and the line to get into the polling place stretched around the very large building. The turnout was astronomically large, but people were trying their hardest to socially distance while in line. People were kind and respectful and said hello to their neighbors, friends and acquaintances.
I was so happy at how orderly everything went. Once the polls opened, it was clear where I had to go to get my ballot and then cast my vote. I knew how to fill my ballot out and knew where to place it. The poll workers were informative, kind and professional. I wasn't surprised by that. I was surprised by my reaction to actually filling out my ballot. I actually teared up. I felt like it was momentous. And like I was making history and an impact all at the same time.
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