Emotions and Early Voting

This morning was a very emotional morning for me inside. My husband got up at 4:30 am to take the dog out and to get coffee ready. He was preparing to go to our voting location at 5:30 am to hold us a spot in line so that we would not have to stand in line forever.  He left the house around 5:45 am to go to the location with coffee, folding chair, and a book that he is reading by Tony Dungy called "Quiet Strength" a book that my parents purchased for him on his 40th birthday this past spring.  

I told him not to go for 5:30 am because I thought that it was too early and not safe to be there in the dark. Anyway, he stuck with his inner feeling and went ahead 15 minutes later. I slept in since I knew that I was going in later after voting and I was thrilled not to have to get up at 5:00 am. He arrived there and there were 10 other people waiting outside in the cold as well to start a line to get inside of the building. My husband called me back around 6:40 am to tell me to hurry up and get there because he was like #15 in line outside and there were that hundred or more that came in after his arrival. I was showered and dressed within 25 minutes since he called back to say that they let them in the building at 7:15 am but voting would not open up until 8:30 am.  I arrived at the location around 7:20 am after walking the dog. It only takes me about 8 minutes to get there. 

When I arrived at our voting location the parking lot was full and people were parking all down the street.  I walked into the building and  I was searching for my husband discreetly since he was in the beginning of the line. I couldn't tell what was the beginning and what was the end! He spotted me and called me over and I took his seat and he stood up ( no drama). You know how people can act sometime if they feel like someone is cutting line! I was still feeling a little sick to the stomach, so maybe they thought I had an issue, was pregnant or was sick since I looked flushed! No one said anything, I guess because he had been one of the first ones there. We waited for about an hour before the polls opened enjoying company around us. It was so emotional to see all of the people that turned out to vote on this cold morning. The building was full of lines inside and they went outside into the street. People were parking on the grass and all. This is a very large location, so this was significant. Our voting process only took about 15 minutes once the opened. 

The most emotional part for me was when I actually hit my chosen person and casted my ballot. It was reality at the point for me that we were making history. To the left of me was a lady in her 80's and she asked for my assistance with her machine. I was honored because this was really a big day for that generation that is still living. As I was clicking through the different candidates she was asking me questions. The funniest thing was when she said, "Honey, am I doing this right?"  I said, "Mam?"  She said, I just want to make sure that I vote for Obama, that's all I care about!  "Is this right?" I said, " Yes, you have it right!"  I finished my voting process and turned in my card. I knew that the lady was having a difficult time so I advised one of the helpers there to assist her since these voting machines are very different from the past.  It was an honor for me to assist an elder that grew up in a different era where many thought they would never live to see the day that an African American is on the ballot running for President of the United States. 

The turn out was massive at 8:30 am in the morning and as my husband and I walked out of the building with another gentleman that my husband connected with during the early morning wait. I looked over to my left and saw the hundreds of people lined up from inside to outside looping around the big parking lot in the cold. I saw people with babies bundled up in the carriages. It was such an awesome sight to see. Everyone was calm and knew that they had a wait, but it was well worth it. 

I just spoke with my neighbors wife a short while ago and she advised us that she stayed in like 5.5 hours today to vote because she arrived after 10:00 am.  We all did what we had to do.  It was just an awesome thing to see the young, middle age, older all voting this morning. We represented America because it was people represented from all walks of life as African Americans. 

My husband connected with a gentleman that arrived a few minutes before my husband did this morning. My husband later informed me that the brother was just layed off from Coca-Cola and they had moved down here from up north as well just a year ago. I would have never known that he had just lost his job due to corporate cuts, because he had such a sweet spirit and he was not down at all. We all had a great conversation after I arrived and he was doing what he had to do despite his current situation. He actually told the workers inside that he would go get them some breakfast after he voted because they were teasing him when we first came in there about no one bring donuts or something.  It is so many people that are feeling the effects of our country's economic crisis, but in the end God is in control. 

After we voted, he and my husband exchanged cell numbers and we are all planning on meeting later on to go out to eat or something.  

They had helpers assisting the elderly who needed help filling out the forms. All I can say is we represented here in the "A". What an awesome day filled with so many emotions.  Since I was rushing out of the house to arrive there to get in line with my husband, I left my camera at home. I wanted to take a picture of the long lines of our people exercising their rights to try to help make a change!