Member Blogs

So this is it

Really. This is it. In a few short hours the polls will open in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire and its population will begin casting their votes. This will continue throughout the country for the rest of the day and night in the United States until all who have registered and arrived at the polls have finished. There will be long lines and bad weather and people will be late for work. By 7 p.m. EST the pundits will begin to project the winner of the presidential election as well as thousands of other offices from Senator to school board. Many of you may still be waiting to cast your own ballot.

Does it feel like this election has been going on forever to you? I'm tired and so are most of the people I know. Not only have we gone through the primaries and the campaigns but North Carolina has early voting. People in this state have been voting since October 16th. North Carolina has been considered "in play" this election with much more attention paid to it than when it has been a red state. Even in the primaries we had far more attention than is the norm. We've had candidates and their surrogates working in every city and many small towns throughout the state.

As I sit here writing this, campaign ads have been running nearly non stop. Barack Obama is too radical, Kay Hagan doesn't believe in God, McCain is erratic, Dole doesn't really live here, that State senator is a lesbian, the other is on the side of child murderers. It goes on and on.

This state has not elected a Democrat for the office of the President since 1976 when Jimmy Carter barely carried it. The polls here are simply too close to call. 41 percent of registered voters have already voted and they expect millions more tomorrow. North Carolina has never had a woman Governor. It has never had two women running for the same Senate seat. Hell, Jesse Jelms was it's senator for 30 years. Whatever happens here tomorrow makes history. History has already been made and yet I am anxious.

I am worried that this country could become even more divided under a McCain/Palin administration. I am worried that there is going to be voter disenfranchisement. I am worried that the election will come down to another case of Florida in 2000. I could go on and on and I know I'm not alone.

I have been trying to explain to the kids that while we have voted for Barack Obama not everyone thinks like we do. We hope that he will be elected but he could lose. Have you ever tried to explain the electoral college to a seven year old? So we talk about what we think and dream and hope for him and his little sister.