Poll Dancing with the Family

Voting.  Elections. Politics.  What to do at the polls.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago I earned a Political Science degree from the University of Wisconsin.  The plan was to go to law school and become an attorney just like Susan Dey’s character in L.A. Law. (I told you it was a long, long time ago).  I am supposed to be an expert on what to do at the polls.

I didn’t go to law school.  I went into sales like all of the other liberal arts majors.  Then I got married, moved to Corpus Christi and had a few kids.

Fast forward to the 2016 Election.

You might have heard that voters will select a new president this year.

That’s important.

Did you know that Corpus Christi will be voting for the Mayor this year? Did you know there are City Council seats up for re-election?  Did you know that our United States Congress seat is on the ballot?  Did you know the Railroad Commissioner is on the ballot?

That’s MORE important.

Local elections have a greater impact on our taxes, our quality of life and our infrastructure than the Federal elections ever will.  My kiddos will probably never meet the President of the United States, but they’ve met the Mayor of Corpus Christi.

Local elections are personal.

Maybe I’m a geek, but I love to take my kids to vote.  I love walking down the street to the polling place as a family.  I love to pass through the tangle of political signs into the solemn space where I have a duty to make my voice heard.

My boys (#1, #2 and #3) don’t think it’s so great.  The 14 year old thinks it’s embarrassing.  The 10 year old thinks it’s boring.  The 8 year old just wants to know where the bathroom is.  Regardless of what they think, we’ll still go to the polls together.  Husband and I will filibuster on the walk down, making our convictions known.  We’ll all wait in line.  Husband will vote, then I will.  Walking home, we’ll calculate how many years each boy has until he is called upon to do his civic duty. #1 will roll his eyes. # 2 will whine.  # 3 will tell us he has to go to the bathroom again.

Then out for frozen yogurt.

My Political Science degree may not have landed me in law school, but it gave me an understanding of how important the electoral process is to my family.

It’s important for your family too.

Vote.