I Voted!

It's the night before the election, and I just finished filling out my ballot. From the first time I voted, I loved going to vote. Actually, I even loved going with my parents to vote when I was a kid. But once I was living in town in Santa Cruz instead of on campus, I loved walking over to the church to cast my ballot with my neighbors (even though I knew relatively few of them). And when we lived in the Parkfairfax neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia, I loved seeing everyone walk over to the synagogue to vote, and then a bunch of us being on different, later buses to the Metro together after casting our votes. So when we moved back to California, I was reluctant at first to sign up for "permanent vote by mail." Then I figured out that I was allowed to fill out the ballot at home and drop it off on election day. So tomorrow morning, I'll walk my envelope across the street, get my "I Voted" sticker (they didn't include one with the ballot this time), and feel as though I am participating in my community by more than just voting, but in joining my neighbors as well.

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How cool is it that I got to vote against the death penalty? Sometimes I think our system in California with all these propositions is a little ridiculous. But tonight I got to vote yes on Proposition 34 to repeal the death penalty in this state. That's been an important issue to me ever since I was a teenager and the movie Dead Man Walking got me interested in it and cause me to make it my issue for my civics research paper. (Also, I remember all that, including the weather when I came out of the theater, so vividly. That seems kind of weird.) The death penalty feels wrong to me--intellectually, emotionally, and morally--and here I get a chance to say so. The ballot measure is close, and it's losing by a few points still in the polls, but I am still hopeful.

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And just because I can't post something without mentioning my kids, here is a picture of Adriana from four years ago.