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Red, White, and Blue

November 03, 2008

It was the day that I had waited most of my life for. My roommate, Libby, and I, donned our comfiest shoes, grabbed a handful of sugar-coated snacks, and gathered stacks of reading materials. After leaving our residence hall, we found our way to Fairbanks Avenue, where we shuffled along the sidewalk, walking briskly to avoid the heat. As we approached the Winter Park Library, our hearts pounded with excitement, for that was the day that we would vote!

From R-Journal

Photo: Here I am in front of the Early Voting sign at the Winter Park Library. Libby and I decided to document our adventure despite the fact that people were giving us funny looks.

Although this wasn’t my very first time voting. It was my first time voting in a presidential election, and it is a highly historical and controversial one at that. My roommate, Libby, and I decided to take this most memorable step together. We knew that it was a day that we would never forget- a memory to last a lifetime.

We approached the library, which was the early voting polling location for Rollins College, and walked anxiously to see when that seemingly-never-ending line actually ended. As we walked along, we saw many familiar faces. Students and friends were dispersed randomly throughout the line, sprinkled in between businessmen in their button-up shirts and house moms with their hair in a pony tail and a child on their hip. The line was wrapped around three-quarters of the vast building, and we sullenly made our way to the back of it.

Libby and I decided to spend the first hour of standing in line socializing with those around us. We talked for awhile with a girl who was in my art class, discussing the latest Rollins events and our Halloween plans. Libby and I then discovered that we had made friends with a toddler a few feet in front of us. Her mother tried desperately to keep her still, but this blonde-haired beauty decided to put her purple-colored Crocs to good use and waddle over to us. After playing at our feet for awhile and several attempts to bite off the lid of my water bottle, she decided to seek pleasure elsewhere, leaving Libby and I fumbling for entertainment.

From R-Journal

Photo: Here I am standing in line waiting to vote. Libby graciously decided to grab my camera and sneak an "action" shot on me.

It had been more than an hour, and Libby and I were just now passing the first side of the building. We stood there making small talk and watching the people around us. We smiled amusingly at the sight of adults in pumpkin stockings, crazy hats, and even some costumes standing in line in front of us. In all the excitement, we had forgotten that it was still Halloween. Libby and I groaned at the thought that we missed a perfect opportunity to have our very first presidential voting experience dressed in wings and a wand.

It seems that even at the very last minute, the campaigning still continued. An Obama campaign worker walked along the line handing out pamphlets as cases of water bottles lay randomly on the grass with an Obama/Biden sign over it. McCain volunteers also worked the last minute trail as they waved signs at cars passing by.

From R-Journal

Photo: Here is Libby sitting on the gum-ridden sidewalk reading up on the proposed Florida Amendments.

The second hour of standing in line was the most brutal. Now away from the shade, Libby and I sat helplessly on the sidewalk, studying sample ballots and discussing the amendments. We watched enviously as a Domino’s delivery car pulled up and a young man hopped out and delivered his goods to some students a few yards in front of us. We could smell the delicious scent of hot dough and melted cheese, and our stomachs turned in disgust at the clever group of individuals in front of us.

From R-Journal

Photo: Here is a pizza guy delivering a pizza to a group of students standing in line.

However, after two hours of standing in line, we were almost done with this whole voting shenanigan. We had passed around two corners of the building and were now in the 30-minute homestretch. We chatted eagerly with those around us as we saw the doorway to the beloved library finally come closer. Libby and I stood ready with our IDs handy and even managed to take a few pictures as we were ushered into the “waiting room.”

From R-Journal

Photo: Here I am with Libby as we are about to vote after two and a half hours of waiting in line.

A few minutes later, we were finally at the “poll” ready for the actual voting process to begin. I gave my name to a clerk at the desk, had my driver’s licenses screened, and answered several verification questions. Nervous about the whole process, I actually managed to fumble across my address and think twice about my name. However, it wasn’t long before I was handed my ballot and directed to a makeshift voting booth.

Here, I sat nervously, fidgeting with the chained pen, which had probably been touched by hundreds of filthy hands before me. It took me a minute to slow the adrenaline running through my body, and I actually stood there frozen for awhile, anxiously reading and rereading the instructions on top of my ballot. Even though the process of filling in a small bubble doesn’t normally require a large amount of mental concentration, it did this time around.

After a few minutes, the deed was done, and I walked proudly over to a poll worker who helped me submit my official ballot into the system and handed me the much coveted “I Voted” sticker, and that was a moment, which I will never forget.

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