This election galvanized voters of all parties. Everywhere I went yesterday, people sported “I Voted” stickers and were eager to discuss the election. My husband and I went to West Springfield High School at 7:15 AM to vote and found that the line was already snaking its way out of the building. But despite the early hour and the long line, people were upbeat and talkative, energized (in part) by the coffee and baked goods volunteers were selling outside, but mostly by a keen awareness that we were taking part in a historic election. Our long line moved swiftly, and in less than an hour, my husband and I were inside the school and voting. The use of scannable paper ballots made it possible for more people to vote at once, and this new voting method kept the line moving and frustration low. What about you? What happened when you went to vote?
On Mason’s campus, the weather was dreary and damp, but spirits were high.
Student Government ran vans to the Woodson High School polling place, and volunteers promoted this service by becoming “human advertisements.”
Rain apparently, does not damper revolutions!
This guy stole my heart!
Our university was not without its own drama. Yesterday morning, a hacker broke into the Provost’s email account and sent out a fake message announcing that the election had been moved to November 5th. Rumors circulated that Mason students who voted could lose their financial aid.
But such lame attempts proved ineffective against the smart and savvy youthful voters who went to the polls in record numbers. Your demographic – voters between the ages of 18 and 25 – voted overwhelmingly for Obama and helped power him to victory. Now it’s your turn to act upon that mandate and consider how you will help him guide our nation toward economic recovery, energy reform, and improved security both at home and abroad.
How will you meet the challenge Obama made to all Americans in his victory speech last night that change can’t happen without “a new spirit of patriotism, a new spirit of sacrifice?” How has this election influenced your outlook on the future and the role you will play in it as a working professional?
4 comments:
Voting was hassle free on the 4th, I was able to walk in and out in just a few minutes later in the day. I spent the rest of the evening browsing the internet and observing the flow of election information as the votes were counted. As states went red or blue, Penn and Virginia specifically going blue caused a flood of traffic reporting an Obama win.
Regarding Obama's challenge to Americans, I feel that maybe politics can change and that that they do not always have to be the corrupt money loving suits that have defined American politics for so long. The outlook on the job market for upcoming grads is a grim thing, but with someone new and hopefully different in charge, that could be changed by 2010 when I would be graduating.
Well I can honestly say out of all the times I have voted, this time felt the best. It felt like everyone's vote really mattered. My experience contained nothing out of the ordinary. Having the whole day off, I went to vote around 2:30 with next to no line at all. I was in and out within 15-20 minutes.
I am willing to make plenty of financial sacrifices. One problem I have with modern societies is the amount of greed that people have. I do, and hope that all Americans will support Obama's administration, as in doing so I feel will help renew the worlds faith in our country.
I could not go to vote because I passed my citizenship test two day after the day I could register for vote.
However, I can feel the exciting emotion about the winning candidate from some of my customers. One of them, Debbie, an economic professor told me that she stayed up to 2 o'clock to celebrate Obama's victory. Another one, Erin who has done a lot of volunteer work to support Democratic, told me how excited she was when she knows that all her hard work is deserve. She told me to keep the Washington Post if I had because somebody had sold in Ebay for $100, just for a newspaper.
About Obama's speech, I think his winning will be a big challenge to him because he will have face with government deficit where he promise to help the middle class people. I hope he will do well. I know that we are going to pay more for tax, no matter Democratic or Republican win the election.
November 4th was truly a historical day from the beginning to the very end. As soon as I stepped out of my house I could feel the excitement as everybody kept asking each other if they had voted and when they would vote and the race so far. The energy was so intense and you could just feel a huge change in the air. I have never been a very politically involved person but this election has drawn me and many more like me in to the very center of the campaign. Being on campus on November 4th just felt good; it felt good to be a part of something so historical where men and women of every age were so anxious in voicing their opinion. It showed honest concern and genuine care about the future of this country overcoming the struggle for the past 200 years amongst other long overdue response to the change that the Americans truly deserve.
This was my first time voting and don't think I have ever been more proud to be able to apply my rights as a citizen of this country. I had classes all day so I couldn't vote till 6:30.
I think another thing that was the most amazing to me was not only the excitement of the citizens, but also everybody else. My friend is not a citizen yet but the 7 different Obama-Biden stickers pasted all over his car was his way of supporting Obama and doing his part.
The best part of Election day was obviously right after he won, but it was honestly a treat if you were on campus that night. There were miles of students walking all over campus ecstatic over Obama's victory screaming and cheering shirtless and running around while me and my boyfriend were jumping up and down in the parking lot.
I am honestly very proud to have been able to be a part of something so unbelievably life altering.
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