This election galvanized voters of all parties. Everywhere I went yesterday, people sported “I Voted” stickers and were eager to discuss the election. My husband and I went to West Springfield High School at 7:15 AM to vote and found that the line was already snaking its way out of the building. But despite the early hour and the long line, people were upbeat and talkative, energized (in part) by the coffee and baked goods volunteers were selling outside, but mostly by a keen awareness that we were taking part in a historic election. Our long line moved swiftly, and in less than an hour, my husband and I were inside the school and voting. The use of scannable paper ballots made it possible for more people to vote at once, and this new voting method kept the line moving and frustration low. What about you? What happened when you went to vote?
On Mason’s campus, the weather was dreary and damp, but spirits were high.
Student Government ran vans to the Woodson High School polling place, and volunteers promoted this service by becoming “human advertisements.”
Rain apparently, does not damper revolutions!
This guy stole my heart!
Our university was not without its own drama. Yesterday morning, a hacker broke into the Provost’s email account and sent out a fake message announcing that the election had been moved to November 5th. Rumors circulated that Mason students who voted could lose their financial aid.
But such lame attempts proved ineffective against the smart and savvy youthful voters who went to the polls in record numbers. Your demographic – voters between the ages of 18 and 25 – voted overwhelmingly for Obama and helped power him to victory. Now it’s your turn to act upon that mandate and consider how you will help him guide our nation toward economic recovery, energy reform, and improved security both at home and abroad.
How will you meet the challenge Obama made to all Americans in his victory speech last night that change can’t happen without “a new spirit of patriotism, a new spirit of sacrifice?” How has this election influenced your outlook on the future and the role you will play in it as a working professional?
5 comments:
I went to vote around 6 AM, thinking that the lines would be a bit shorter in the morning (as opposed to later in the day). But it was actually the opposite - while the whole voting process (parking about three blocks away from the school, standing in line) took about an hour for me, a few people, who had gone in the afternoon, told me that it took them only fifteen minutes.
I liked both McCain and Obama's speeches. I think Obama's speech was inspirational - afterward, I felt that I should make more of an effort to understand current government and economic policies and also vote more often.
My overall voting experience was a positive one. I went to vote in the middle of the day at a community center that was close by my house. There was a total of 5 people in front of me and I was in and out in 15 minutes. In fact, the people with the McCain and Obama signs didn't even have time to harass me or give me buttons.
One thing I did notice about this election was the exuberance that people demonstrated for the process of voting. When I was driving around later on in the day, there were lots of young people standing outside of schools and on street corners with Obama signs singing and dancing to get people to vote and vote for him. It was highly entertaining and nice to see that so many people wanted to be in on the process and part of a historic moment.
Obama's challenge to the American is a good one. For all those people who are angry that McCain didn't win, and I know a few, I believe it is fundamental for them to put their differences aside and put forth the effort to work together. This goes for all the people in government to. We must show support for our President and commit our selves to change. We cannot rely on one person to save us.
This election certainly was a special one. I think we have much more interesting things that will be coming up later.
In my opinion victory for Obama will influence and motivate many people to work and achieve their American dream. Which he said at the beginning of his speech and certainly that is the main message he wants get it across to Americans. If he succeeds in doing that it will rise America as United States again.
In my point of view, this is certainly inspiration. It influenced me to work hard and have faith in me, faith in the possibility.
I, too, went to vote at 6 a.m. at the local church. I saw the Provost's fake email and looked out my window only to see huge lines stretching around the entire block. The line moved as slow as anything (there weren't many machines). I stood there chatting it up with my neighbors for about an hour. There were these cool people serving free coffee (which I hate but drank anyway). I finally voted at 7:15ish with one of the paper ballot scanner things and then I went off to get free Starbucks. Other than that, our "I Voted" sticker was substantially worse than Virginia's and I traded it for a Mason one later in the day.
On the bus home, we ran into 1,500ish crazy people at U St., including some of my friends from Howard University, and I decided I'd be better served walking the rest of the way.
Obama's plea for sacrifice is interesting to me, a Muslim voter. Before he asks the American people to start sacrificing, he should start referencing Muslims here like real people, not kryptonite. He doesn't have to worry about losing a campaign now, so we'll see what he does. His real work - the economy, war, health care, taxes, etc. - hasn't even begun yet. I really have no clue what he wants a person like me, who runs on financial aid and free food, and who already teaches kids and volunteers regularly, to sacrifice, but I'm sure I'd do it if it's reasonable.
My friend and I were discussing the election yesterday. For her the experience was especially meaningful because she has just become an American citizen: What a welcome to the United States. For both of us, the election of Obama encourages a sense of American identity; we live in a country in which the majority shares similar values, wants to secure a better future through the same means.
I have always been proud of America--one has to be, when one's a French major-- but now I feel encouraged to participate in the running of this country, especially since I know that Obama's administration will support issues that I consider to be crucial, such as education.
I hope that Obama does call upon us to help in overcoming the challenges, so that we can put to the test the unity that his election symbolizes. It seems that until recently there has been a division between politics and daily life in the United States, at least in the minds of my peers, the majority of which have escaped the repercussions of policies formulated in the capital. I would like to see all of us take responsibility for supporting-- or opposing-- these policies, be it through small actions such as recycling, or larger actions like answering Obama's calls for community service.
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