Tuesday November 02, 2004

Haven’t Voted Yet?

Perhaps Laila over at MoorishGirl — and her moving account of becoming a naturalized citizen and voting for the first time in 2000 — will convince you to stay in line for as long as it takes. She writes:

I took the oath of allegiance very seriously and so I entered into citizenship with the intention of enjoying the rights it gave as well as assuming the responsibilities it entailed. I was the only person I knew who wanted to be called for jury duty. Voting was the perfect example of a civic responsibility, and I could not for the life of me understand why so many native-born Americans wasted the opportunity to make their voices heard.

When I walked into the voting booth on November 7, 2000, I was happy and eager to cast my first vote as a new American. I really believed in the system and couldn’t wait to see which candidate would win. Imagine my disappointment when, instead of letting the recount proceed in Florida, the Supreme Court intervened to have it stopped. I took it as a complete betrayal.

This year, I tried to do what I could to make sure that the man who stole the election last time was sent packing. I donated money twice during the primaries, three times during the race itself. I wrote emails, sent letters, talked to friends and family, urged everyone I knew to vote. Many of my friends feel depressed by the prospect of another election fiasco, but I still have faith that this democracy will know how to steer itself from the mess it has allowed itself to get into.