Election Day 2018

My dad always said that it was our duty to vote in each and every election.  Primaries.  November elections.  It didn't matter who was on the ballot or what races were being contested, or even if the ballot was full of candidates running upopposed.  Voting was our right and our duty.  Voting was one time that ALL Americans were and are created equal because each American citizen has one and only one vote.

Now there are some naysayers out there who might argue that some people vote more than once, that people create fall IDs so they can vote in the place of the recently deceased, that others will vote in the place of the those who are hospitalized or in institutions or are in nursing homes and other care centers.  But I like to think that those instances are rare and that my vote is equal to that of anyone else in the United States.

Voting has been the focus of much attention, specifically in this mid-term election.  The Democrats are urging everyone to vote, hoping that those that usually don't will vote in their favor and tip the House and Senate to the left.  The Republicans are hoping the same thing - that more of the conservatives who usually don't vote in the mid-term elections will do so because they are fed up with the recent antics of the left. 

Both sides have issues, good and bad, and both sides are hoping for great results in their favor.  I, for one, am thrilled that more people are taking voting as their right so seriously and going to the polls.

In our area, and I think this is true all over the country, the numbers for early voting have been staggering.  Gary and I were in Payless Supermarket a week ago Saturday and line of people waiting to vote was snaking its way through the foral department and into the dairy and bakery area. The parking lot was packed, and the people were NOT buying groceries!

I am not sure what that means exactly. It could mean that the Democrats are sick of Trump and what they call his antics and want to lessen his power.  They are hoping to bring impeachment charges against him and boot him out of office.  The only way to do that is to strengthen their hold of the seats of the House and the Senate.  The Republicans are tired of the Democrats name-calling, trying to stop Trump with everything he is doing to better the country, and they continue to work their way through these four years with bitterness and manipulation, calling our POTUS, Not MY President. 

What both sides need to realize is that their actions, their diatribes, and their manipulations are dividing the country rather than unifying it.  While some preach that we need to accept everyone, that we need to have tolerance for those whose views are different than our own, that we need to talk and discuss calmly and with open minds, others are determined that if someone doesn't think and say as they do, they are wrong.  And it is happening with Republicans.  And with Democrats.

Tomorrow will be an interesting day.  I will be glad to not see political ads spread all over the television, on the radio, and through Facebook.  The negativity is rampant this election season.

While Dad would be upset with the state of our country today, he would be pleased to see that so many are exercising their right to vote.

And I will be one of those who do that.  Bright and early tomorrow morning.