Yo Voté!
We just got back from voting. We waited in line for 45 minutes. We were reminiscing with neighbours about past elections including the time I strapped both kids to my chest in a double carrier, slung a heart monitor over each shoulder, and walked down to the station to vote, barely able to see over their infant heads. Or voting at the pool the year our school was being renovated.
Then the twins and I got our electronic card and walked up to the voting booth. We did what we always do for the votes they feel strongly about: one votes, we erase her vote, the next one votes, and then we erase his vote, and then I vote, finally hitting save. So we get to say that we all voted for Obama and in favour of marriage equality. (They didn’t have strong feelings about the other 8 questions on the ballot nor other offices so they gave me free range of the screen.)
And now I’m turning over this blog post to them, both because they asked to be hired to do work today and because they had thoughts they wanted to express about the election without needing to set up their own space to say them.
Wolvog: People should vote because it’s fair for the president — so everyone can have a say in the election. Everybody should have to vote because without a president, we couldn’t have a country. Everyone should vote for Question 6 so no matter what gender* you are, you can still marry somebody you love. Please vote (for Barack Obama!).
ChickieNob: People should vote because it gives them a chance to choose the leader of the country. If you don’t vote, then you get what you get and you don’t get upset. You should vote for Question 6 because everybody wants to get married to the person they love. And that could be a boy or a girl. I once went to the White House, and I saw a lot of things that the president borrows while he’s president. And I helped my mum vote. So go out and vote!
* We’ve talked about the difference between gender and sex, but I didn’t feel like correcting him.
11 comments
Yesssss! I voted along with you.
(And your kids are wise beyond their years – I wish more adults understood love is love is love).
I just caught up on your last 3 blog posts. I am in awe of your ability to eloquently get your point across and the maturity of your children. You must be one very proud mom! You can let Wolvog and ChickieNob I voted for Obama and I live in Massachusetts where we thankfully do have marriage equality.
Love: “If you don’t vote, then you get what you get and you don’t get upset.”
They managed to say exactly what I was thinking! Smart cookies those kids.
Tell ChickieNob & Wolvog that they are so right about how important it is to vote, no matter who you are supporting. This Canadian would vote if she could. ; ) Some of us were musing on Facebook that if there’s a tie, we should get to cast the deciding vote — we live next door (and as a former prime minister once said, it can be like sleeping with an elephant sometimes) so our opinions should count for something, right? ; )
I’m sure you’re very proud of such intelligent children. They are lucky to have such a great mom.
I love that your children are so involved and so eloquent.
And that the get to push the levers/buttons.
Around here, it’s “you get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.” Must be the twang…I’m going to have to work on that. Lately, I’ve been having to instruct my daughter on the pronunciation differences between pen and pin. In these parts, they’re hard to distinguish, but I will fix that if it kills me.
I was going to take my girl to the voting booth with me, but it would have been a bit of a hassle (it’s too high for her to see anything). She’s been very interested, though – asking me who I voted for and who everyone she knew voted for. Then she did some cheers for both candidates. The Obama cheer was much better, but I may be prejudiced.
My kids pushed the buttons, too. And we voted for me, as write in for the Board of Education. I actually ran a local campaign via social media during the last week, at the behest of a number of local folks who think I’d be a good fit for the role … it’ll be interesting to see if it was successful.
And as I just commented elsewhere: for me, the election was about basic civility, about the way we treat every person with respect and dignity. That basic civility pervaded so many issues: gay marriage, reproductive rights, immigration, environmental reform, even education. I wish that more people understood that the success of our economy rests on strong relationships, and that strong relationships can only be built based on respect and trust.
Very pleased that Obama got back in. Well done USA!
Your kids rock! They must be so excited about the results!