Get out the vote!

In Oregon we vote by mail; no lines at the voting booth and the ballot comes right to your door! A group of our friends got together Wednesday to discuss the measures and candidates and in the end I picked up three ballots to drop off at the designated sites (you can either mail them in or drop them off, if you are keen on saving the stamp).

Just about any place can be an official drop off site but I opted to pass on the McDonalds in Hollywood---french fry-scented ballots just didn't seem to have the right vibe for a presidential election with no candidates from the deep south. Aside from driving all the way downtown, the only site I was aware of was the Obama headquarters on Killingsworth. Seems like a possible conflict of interest there but it's close to the house so that's where I went. When I walked in I held up the three ballots encased in their double envelopes and asked the ancient ladies at the desk where I should deposit them. The entire place broke out in cheers, people clapped and banged on pots---it was quite a show and extremely loud. I felt like a 3 year old using the toilet for the first time, Look who made a boom-boom in the potty! I've previously voted in, what, 7 presidential elections, and this was the first time I was congratulated on it. That's right, 'bout time I got my props! Just to ease my mind that I was actually voting one of the ancient ladies had me fill out the form, sign for each ballot and deposit them in a locked, wooden box. Democracy in action.

Yesterday afternoon someone from the Obama campaign called to remind us to vote (registered Democrats we are); I let them know we'd already voted and I was told we'd be taken off their reminder list. What about the commercials, can you make them stop as well? I wanted to ask. I voted, as far as I'm concerned it's over and I'm just waiting for the victory party on Tuesday, but still I'm going to have to sit through the radio and TV commercials for another 5 days, and the local ones are just plain constant. I bet the Mattress Giant is chomping at the bit to get a commercial on TV because it seems like I haven't heard from him in a while.

Oh, and remember to vote. Don't make me call you.