Hip to Vote

Standing in line waiting to vote at 6:30 a.m. this morning was a surreal yet exhilarating experience. When I arrived at my D.C. polling station, a line of mostly African-American voters was wrapped around the block. In my anxiety to take my place in line, I zipped into the last available parking space on the street and was admonished by a resident who cheerfully declared, "Take your time, the job is going to be there. This day will only come once."

He was right. This experience wasn't to be rushed but savored. What an awesome sight to see African-Americans of all ages, many of whom represented multiple generations in a family, coming out in large numbers to vote for the Obama/Biden ticket. Those in line were jubilant. A woman standing patiently with her granddaughter in front of me turned and said, "It's good to see this many people out here. Let's hope it's like this all day." Behind me I overheard snippets of conversations conducted by a young man who cheerfully answered his constantly ringing cell phone, "Barack the Vote!"..."It's a happy day to be black."..."This day is inpiring on so many levels. It's incredible that's what's up."

An older man drove by the line honking, waving and shouting, "Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus!" After a short while, strangers in line started talking about the election to pass the time. It was quickly evident that people closely followed every twist and turn of this epic election. From what former BET Bob Johnson said in the primaries to the death of Sen. Obama's grandmother, everything--like in a soap opera--was up for discussion. To gales of laughter, one middle-aged African-American woman declared, "If she (Sarah Palin) can see Russia from Alaska, then we can see Canada--or better yet Cuba--from our backyard!"

The line started moving quickly once the doors opened at 7 a.m. As people streamed out of the voting booth, those still waiting in line waved and spoke to neighbors they knew. An older woman came out and saw the young man standing behind me and exclaimed, "I am so proud to see you here!" She gave him a big bear hug. After she left, someone asked him, "did you used to be bad?" "Yeah, I used to get in some trouble," he said sheepishly. "But I'm into good things now."

Once I reached the voting booth, the significance of the day began to sink in. "Barack Obama/Joe Biden" right there on the top of the ballot. No hesitation. "Eleanor Holmes Norton" for Congress. No hesitation. But who were some of these other people further down ballot? What do I know about them? Their policy positions? No matter. Just mark Democrat and hope its O.K. I made a mental note to myself to get more familiar with the local politicians and their positions on the issues.

As I left the gymnasium with my "I just voted" sticker affixed to my red woolen jacket, I passed the long line of people waiting outside. It was clear that as many new people were joining the line as were voting which suggested a steady flow of voters all day. That's good news for Obama. A photographer was taking a picture of an spry elderly woman on a cane with her daughters. One daughter mentioned that her mother was 91 years old. Looking at the woman, it was clear that she was excited and very happy to be a part of history.

Almost to the car now. "It's so good to see so many kids in line." I overheard someone saying. "Yeah, girl. They need to know that they too can be on the ballot one day."