Stories about Voting

Last week I was chatting across the hip height fence in my backyard with my 95 year old neighbor Charlie. When he told me he turns 96 on Election Day our conversation naturally turned to voting. I asked Charlie when the first time was that he voted for president. election he had voted in first. It was 1948 for Truman which turned out to be one of the biggest election upsets in American history, the Democratic nominee & incumbent President Harry S. Truman, defeated Republican Governor Thomas E. Dewey. Truman had ascended to the presidency in April 1945 after Franklin D. Roosevelt passed while in office.

We then went on to talk about Charlie’s experience working as a precinct coordinator at the elementary school on our black. I lamented that I have never voted in person. While I have memories of tagging along with my parents I have always envied the act of voting in person, standing in line with my community and getting that coveted sticker. Charlie was quick to tell me that voting by mail was far more efficient and fair to everyone.

Side note: Oregon has been voting by mail since 1998, my entire adult life.

Picked up a latte and these free pins at Stumptown last week

With Nana we discussed the debates, how she deplores Trump, the show stealing fly in the VP debates and the state of our country right now. We talked about our ballots and early voting and how my dad helped her secure her ballot by mail and that she already submitted it.

On election day in 2018 during the midterm elections I wanted to give Momo a way to participate so I made a small ballot for him at breakfast & gave him a handful of simple things to vote on: what to wear to school that day, what to pack in his lunch, who would drop him at school , etc.

This year he has watched me write letters & postcards. Viewed (loosely) the debates with us too. And was brought to tears laughing when we saw that fly on pence’s hair and also when he saw Alec Baldwin’s Trump impersonation on SNL. Where am i going with this? I guess just to say its great to be this age and have the privilege of voting and be able to experience it amongst these different generations too.

Happy Voting xx Ly