I voted today.
Big Whoop, right? It is for me. I have been registered as an absentee voter for, gosh, ten years now? And I cannot remember the last time I voted. I have definitely voted during those ten years, just not lately. The last time I actually cared about an election I was sadly disappointed:
Waitress: Are you American?
Me: Yes.
Waitress: Who is your new president?
Me: I have no idea.
This conversation took place in a Paris café one week after election day 2000. Goddamn Florida. To say I hate politics and politicians would be like saying Hurricane Katrina was a blustery day.
But...
I know it is important for women to get off their asses and vote. The beauty of it is you can do it FROM your ass. I thought it might be too late to request an absent voter ballot for the November 7, 2006 election, but the deadline in California is October 31st. There's still time! If you are not in California, Google "absentee ballot" followed by the name of your state for your absentee ballot rules.
If you are male and still reading at this point, um, hi! I am not trying to exclude you. Well, I am, but not for the reasons you may think. As Lisa Stone points out in Go register to vote, you sexy thing, you, women are the voting majority (and have been since 1964 - who knew!) but they are not the majority when it comes to actually getting out there and voting.
To encourage anyone (vagina not required) to vote, Lisa Stone includes the following links:
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If you prefer to go down to the polls on election day, by all means do that. I know many people who enjoy the social aspect of going to the polls and the tactile feeling of flipping the switches or depressing the buttons or whatever it is you do inside that tiny booth. Just be sure to follow zefrank's advice: don't confuse the curtained voting booth with a changing room and drop your pants.
Tags: election 2006, women voters, vote
