Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I Want A Voice

For much of my adult life I have either interned for the government, worked for the government, volunteered for the would-be government, lobbied the government, been part of a government investigation, studied the foundations of the government, or been married to a government employee. My first real foray into the world of government and politics was as a youth delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention. 10 minutes in and I was completely mesmerized by the process, the glitz, the news cameras, the money, the power...all of it. I may never again be as close to the action as I was then or as I was when working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, but I will be a lifelong lover of all things political, the good, the bad and the ugly. Nothing gets me more excited that watching and participating in democracy in action. I am thrilled to be able to do my civic duty when the occasion presents itself and vote. I believe that with freedom comes responsibility and I believe our primary responsibility is to stand up and be counted.

As an employee of the federal government living overseas my husband, and myself by extension, is required to be a resident of a US state for the purposes of taxation. As such, we are residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia. We send them our money in exchange for...well, sometimes we drive on their roads and fly into their airports and perhaps someday our children will attend their schools. As residents, we are also registered to vote in that great state and a few weeks ago received, filled-in and sent back our absentee ballots. Like many have said this is an historic election, regardless of who claims victory. I am an adult life-long Republican and I thought long and hard about how I would cast my vote for President this year. I have never been a big fan of John McCain for myriad reasons which I will refrain from going into, but I am also a fiscal conservative and Barack Obama is, well, not. I listened to their speeches and read their party platforms and personal proposals and thought about their choices for Vice President and their personal and political pedigrees and made a decision -- a decision that I proud of and confident is best for America.

Imagine my chagrin when I learned that due to a technicality, many absentee ballots sent to Fairfax, County, Virginia, our county, would not be counted this year. This technicality, a 2002 law which requires both the address and the signature of the witness to be included on the ballot to make it valid -- even though no request was made nor space provided for the address anywhere on the ballot -- is likely to invalidate not just our 2 votes, but many, many ballots from military men and women currently serving overseas, and other government employees. How ironic that we can work for and defend our government, we just can't choose it. The Attorney General of VA is currently in the process of determining if the ballots can still be counted, but this foolishness and the tales of broken machines, hanging chads, illegal registrations and everything else that has come up over the last several months and years, is disheartening, to say the least. I cherish my right to vote. I cling to my status as an American citizen and am grateful every day for the rights and privileges that are mine as a result of that. In spite of the Electoral College and the predictable outcomes of traditionally "red" or "blue" states, I have always voted and further, always believed that my vote counted, even if only as a means to justify my vocal dissent or agreement with current and future government policies. But, for the first time in my life, today, I feel silenced -- it is hard not to when you think your vote, your voice, is lining a wastebasket somewhere in Virginia.

13 comments:

Christie said...

That just plain stinks. What a joke. They really ought to have seen that one coming.

Kristy said...

That is really, really wrong. That makes me mad (as I am sure it does you). I also really cherish my right to vote and feel it is an obligation to cast an educated ballot. I hope they figure out a way for your vote to be counted!

alisa and sometimes brandon said...

Boo. This is ridiculous. They better figure this one out and QUICK.

diane said...

So wrong. Thanks for voicing your opinion on your blog. You and the others need to be heard.

CStubits said...

Well, at least you are registered in a state that gets a voice in Congress!!! We DCers got nothin. Except Eleanor Holmes Norton, but she doesn't really count. Which always leads me to wonder why anyone would bother running for "Shadow Senator" or non-voting House member from DC. I guess its a good non-job.

So, at least all your fellow government employees in DC get just as little say as you do. Hooray for taxation without representation, and crummy schools to boot!

dana said...

LAME. Seriously?
LAME.
I'm sorry your voice is silent this year despite your efforts. I love that you are all things political and feel passionately about it.
And I'd love to know who you voted for :)....I honestly feel at a loss. I'm still undecided.

Sandi said...

That is so crazy, be sure and tell us if you find out it was decided in your favor. This has been a long, hard thought out decision for me too. I don't believe in conspiracy, but I do believe in stupidity. Hope you get counted since you stood up.

Jessica said...

Lame. Whatever your vote is, because I know it is informed and thoughtful, I want it counted.

Lauren in GA said...

That is awful!!! Like you said...considering your past with politics and your husband's job!!!

I know you are more informed than most Americans and you said it best when you said that you feel, "silenced". So, rotten.

Hey...on a completely different subject...may I reccomend Virginia Tech for your kiddos to attend college, one day. Go, HOKIES!

MBusse said...

Linsey,

This has been fixed. Sorry I didn't notice your post earlier. I could have filled you in. You probably didn't have the type of ballot that was in question, anyway.

Ilene said...

Ah, I remember that 96 convention in San Diego. It was Dole/Kemp right?

Anyway, I'm sorry. That is so, so not right. After all that work too!

Christian said...

Hey, now you know what it's like to vote as a Democrat in Utah! (Or in South Carolina, my new Red state.)

But it still sucks. Unbelievable.

Steph Glazier-Collao said...

Arg! No vote should get overlooked, especially when you are overseas.

 

Design by Custom Blog Designs/FreeStyleMama Creations