Voting

Today is Election day. This was my second time voting since I turned eighteen. I registered in 2004 for the presidential elections. Prior 2002, I was resident of another state. Voting was not practiced in my household when I was growing up. My father had a lot of issues, but voting and religion (won't discuss this here) were his big issues. We really never spoke about those two topics in our household. My father didn't vote because if you registered to vote you may have to serve jury duty. What he didn't realize that if you collect unemployment, you may have to serve jury duty also. He collected unemployment several different times...what an idiot. He also would not allow my mother to vote either. Talk about controlling and manipulating. No wonder why mother divorced him.

I really didn't understand what voting meant until after the 2000 presidential elections. After the '00 presidential elections, I registered to vote. Now, I look forward to voting. Next year, I will make sure I vote in the local primaries. I couldn't this year because I moved and filed to late to vote in the primaries. More than ever, I see and understand the importance of voting. This is one of the ways to let your voice be heard.