One of the things I miss about home besides my family, 
Frenchy's creole seasoned chicken, Harlon's Barbecue, Shipley's Donuts and Majic102 FM is early voting.
The other thing I missed, Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream I've been able to get on a regular basis since they stated selling it in Da Ville last March.
I've voted in every election I've been eligible to participate in since 1980 at the local, state and federal level, and one of the things I absolutely love is no excuse early voting.
It's cool to be able to vote on your schedule and not have to wait until Election Day to do so. I'm climbing the walls waiting for the opportunity to cast my ballot, help make history, and make my liberal-progressive voice heard in this election cycle.
As I watch the people in the lucky states that allow in person early voting like my birth state does (Kentucky has absentee balloting, but not early voting yet), I hear the echoes of Dr. King's words ringing in my ears.
"I can forsee the Negro vote being the decisive one in national elections."
I flip on the news and I'm bursting with pride as I see Sen. Obama coolly lay out his vision for America. I'm overjoyed by the younglings being engaged and involved in this pivotal election. I'm proud of the transgender community stepping up and taking the next evolutionary step in our political maturation process in terms of the $15K raised so far on the Trans For Obama Act Blue webpage.
I'm heartened by the long lines of people I see standing for hours in line in many cases to cast their votes and wish I could join them. I have fond memories of the 2000 election standing in a festive line for two hours at my old early voting site at Burnett-Bayland Park and casting my ballot. I can only imagine what the mood is like there this year.
This will be my eighth presidential election. I'm fired up, ready to go and beyond ready to vote. I am sick and tired of living under Bush mismanagement for 14 years. I'm ready for CHANGE.
Come
Help
A
Nation
Get
Empowered
It's no secret to you Projectors I've had my mind made up about who I was casting my ballot for since the Democratic primary. I'm a till death do I part dyed in the wool yellow dog Democrat and nothing short of water boarding is going to cause me to change my mind and vote for the McPalin ticket.
But unfortunately I live in a state that doesn't early vote yet. With the Kentucky General Assembly being under split control (House is Democratic, senate GOP) I doubt if I'll see early voting here anytime soon since the Republican mantra is to erect barriers to make voting harder for people, not easier.
So for you lucky peeps in the states that can early vote, please exercise your hard won right to do so.
I'll be joining you soon, but I'll have to anxiously wait until November 4.
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8 Comments
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I didn't you were a fellow Texan -- howdy! I, too, first voted in 1980 at an elementary school in San Antonio. I just voted on Thursday here in Pearland just south of Houston. Since you come from the area, I know you'll be thrilled to see today's headline from the Chronicle: Obama holds lead over McCain in Harris County
Robert Angelo | October 25, 2008 2:22 PM
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Okay, now you made me want Frenchy's chicken. I haven't had it since I moved to DC.
Even more than Frenchy's, I want to encourage everyone to vote for Barack Obama.
Barack is far and away the most pro-LGBT nominee that any LGBT major party has put forth.
If we allow, McCain and Palin to get anywhere near the White House, we will see the same hostility to LGBT people that we have seen for the last eight years of the Bush administration.
Michael Crawford | October 25, 2008 4:58 PM
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AirMonica,
I guess another good reason to drive down to visit is you can go back with a large cooler of Blue Bell Ice Cream packed in dry ice. Pick a weekend.
MonicaHelms | October 25, 2008 8:59 PM
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I missed early voting when I was in Minnesota.
You could do it there, but you had to swear that you had one of a small list of excuses - and simply wanting to do it early wasn't one. (And this was particularly annoying given that I worked at the county courthouse - where the early voting took place.)
Illinois has it, however. And I cannot adequately express the joy I felt in casting my vote last Monday for Barack Obama.
Beyond the fact that he's the best candidate by far, and beyond the fact that a vote for him was a jab at the racist Palindrone machine, and beyond the fact that a vote for him was a jab at a certain elitist gay organization that did everything it could to back the candidate who shares its initials - when I cast my vote I had some measure of sweet, sweet mental revenge against all of my own racist relatives from Mississippi, who have never deleted the N-word from their vocabulary (including when referring to my mixed-race nieces.)
Palindrones of Alaska and elsewhere - and Mississippi-oids of all states, say good bye to the 19th Century and get ready for the 21st. Like it or not, here it comes.
Kat | October 25, 2008 10:05 PM
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We can early vote now. The line is 3 hours long most days. Can you imagine?
Over 42,000 people have early voted in Indianapolis already. There's still absentee ballots and a week of early voting to go, but all absentee ballots in 2004 were only 27,000 votes. I'd say it's popular, wouldn't you? Over 200,000 people have early voted in Indiana so far.
Bil Browning | October 25, 2008 11:02 PM
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I used to live in Houston, and miss things like Rich's and Numbers, and hanging out on Westheimer. Bet that has changed in the 20 years since I've been there. And no one makes ice cream like Blue Bell 'The Little Creamery in Brenham.' I miss that quite a bit!
The Maryland Early Voting Measure will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot here in Maryland. You can be guaranteed that I will be voting for this measure.
Sher | October 26, 2008 2:21 PM
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I miss Houston, especially Montrose.
I'm so happy to hear from my sister and other family members in the home state about the long waits at early voting centers.
The progressive tsunami that appears to be developing in Texas that may be turning Harris County back to blue and give Rick Noriega a fighting chance at taking a Senate seat back.
Only nine more days.....
Monica Roberts | October 26, 2008 11:50 PM
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early voting is such a good idea. The one-size-fits-all same-day voting of yesterday just didn't work for everyone.
Alex Blaze | October 27, 2008 12:44 PM
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