PUBLISHED: 10-27-08

Scoop in the Loop

Happy voting

Four years ago, I was 16 years old. At that time, I wasn’t able to vote, but I supported a candidate and wore his button proudly around my college campus on Election Day. I went to rallies and brought my family with me. We sat and listened to Sen. John Kerry speak about change. I went to benefit shows in the Vote for Change Tour and watched performers like Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Keb Mo sing songs about political reform. As you know, it turned out Kerry didn’t win. But even being too young to vote, I did know I wanted whoever wasn’t George W. Bush in office, again.

This year, after moving from the vote-challenged state of Florida, I have the chance to vote for President in Illinois. When I moved here and registered for an Illinois State ID, I registered to become an Illinois voter. But, in the two years I’ve been here, I failed to change my address, after a series of moves.

Luckily, thanks to Facebook notes and blogs, I was bombarded with reminders that Oct. 21 was the last day to change my address or register to vote. Thanks, guys.

Setting out to the Cook County Administration Office, 69 W. Washington St., midafternoon, I was determined. I really needed a new winter coat and contemplated ducking into H&M, but instead I trekked up to the building’s sixth floor. To my surprise, there was a long, winding line of Chicagoans making sure they were able to register to vote, or at least be able to vote before deadline.

My impatience was overwhelming. “Do I wait?” I thought to myself, “Or do I go?”

I felt the need to vote. This was my first opportunity, so why blow it?

The media are usually critics of county offices and officials, and sometimes rightfully so, but there was no reason to at this event.

The line moved quickly. Board of Election workers ushered in what seemed like thousands or more through office cubicles, desks and stacks of boxes and office supplies. With such an influx of people coming in confused and asking questions, everyone kept their cool. We stood in line waiting to change our addresses or register and then, to go vote. Workers instructed us on the usage of the touch-screens (yes, no more hanging chads or dimples!), and even offered up some humor.

In other words, the experience was simple. What could have been an unpleasant experience was hardly that at all. For me, a person who’s never in the mood to wait, or stand in long lines, the experience was calm and rather exciting. Here I was, about to cast my first ballot, and I was sweating with anxiety and nervousness. “Am I prepared? Do I know enough?” I went back-and-forth in my head. Inevitably, I bit the bullet. I felt confident in my decisions, and went ahead.

At times, I felt a little stupid. People older than me were out in a jiffy, no doubt pros at the touch-screen voting. I, on the other hand, was not-being the first real time I was participating. But in the end, the whole process was amazing.

Although my generation is used to quick-and-easy methods of getting things done, waiting in line was not a difficult task, but a rewarding one

Walking out of the building, I felt proud. I was not going to be one of the many young people in the country who don’t bother to vote.

And for others, go on Election Day. Find your polling place and go. If the workers there are anything like those working on Oct. 21 at the Board of Elections, your experience will be pleasant, and it will be worth it.

Popularity: 2% [?]