Yes, I did vote yesterday.   It was my first time voting as a resident of Michigan.   We actually changed our domicile to the “Great Lakes State” last year.  This came after many years of spending more and more time at our home in beautiful Onsted, Michigan.   Now don’t go thinking that we are changing our favorite colors to maize and blue.  Even with the change we still fly the scarlet and grey colors proudly!

With our change, however, brought a different polling location and dates for some primaries.   Travel and other conflicts caused me to miss a couple elections, something that I really wasn’t happy or proud of.   I also neglected to get an absentee ballot, even though it really would not have been that difficult.   But, this was a big election, lots of races and one state wide issue.  I was not going to miss voting.

Last week, I spent time researching the location where I was to vote.
 What hours the poll’s were open, and printed out sample ballots of Cambridge Township, Lenawee County, Michigan.   It was interesting that polls opened at 7;00 am, as compared to the usual 6:30 am in Ohio.  When I arrived at 7:05, the line was over 20 people, but, we all waited patiently and succeeded in casting our ballots.

There were a considerable amount of races including the state offices, senate, congress, judgeship’s, school board’s and of course, the ballot initiative whether to kill wolves in the U.P..  This is something that I could never imagine on the Ohio ballot.  Deer yes, but wolves?  I don’t think so.   I found that I truly enjoyed spending the time, looking up the races, the candidates and making a decision as to who to vote for.    I certainly tried not to let the ever increasing annoying television ads sway me, but, some where so obnoxious, that they had to have a sub-conscious impact.

The most significant impact was how good I felt after voting.   This had nothing to do with the outcomes, but, that I took the effort to fulfill my right as a citizen.   While maybe my one vote didn’t matter to who won or loss, it mattered to me.   When I hear of low voter turnouts or that less than 25% of those 18-29 vote, I am saddened that either apathy or anger toward our government or the electoral process causes many not to vote.    My excuses the last couple elections of not voting are at best embarrassing for me, even though I have voted in probably over 90% of elections I was eligible.

My father, of blessed memory, and my mother, who worked at the voting booth’s for over 35 years, never missed an election.   This legacy is something that I should always preserve and protect.   The rights of each of us in a free society starts with voting!   I did vote today and I urge all of you to make the effort with each election to do the same.