Let's Go Vote!

Election Day is tomorrow, which here in Colorado means it's the last day to vote.  Ballots were mailed out to all registered voters here three weeks ago, but tomorrow is the last day to put them in a ballot box.   It's a tight race for governor and senator, with incumbent Democrats fighting to keep out contesting Republicans, so we're receiving phone calls reminding us to vote and I even answered the door yesterday to someone doing door to door canvassing, a first for me.  

When I walked over to CU for my art history class this morning I made my way past several people who encourage me to vote.  There were also little golf carts buzzing around picking up students and taking them to the one voting center on campus,  inconveniently located on the far north side of campus, well away from all the action.  

In my lecture hall, there were signs posted on the chairs giving the voting center location and urging students to vote.

So after class I went off to hunt down the voting center and check out the scene there.  It was, indeed, out of the way, and I wished I could hop on one of the little golf carts which were now nowhere to be seen.   

As I got closer I began to see "Vote" signs and the final approach was marked with a red carpet, which I thought was pretty clever of someone to think of and make happen.  

At the voting center students were organized into two groups, ones who needed to register and those who were registered and just needed to drop off their ballots.  It appeared that the voting center officials were working with the students to be sure they included a copy of a photo id (required for all first time voters in Colorado) with their ballot and had signed the ballot in the appropriate spot.  I knew that you could register and vote at the same time right up to and including Election Day, but it still surprised me to see it happening.

It feels very cold here today.  Although the temperature is about 40 degrees it is damp with rain and snow showers predicted and some strong winds to boot.  Not great for walking across campus looking for the voting station.  I heard one student tell another, "Holy $%#! Why couldn't they have put this in the center of campus?"   I wondered that myself.

Oh well, everyone did get a nice "thank you" via this sign.

While I was at class Ben walked downtown to put his ballot in one of the several Ballot Drop Boxes around town.  No officials here.  We presume there was a camera watching it, but maybe not.

Well, it will soon be all over except for the crying and blaming.