Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Will the young people turn out?

Yesterday was the first day of early voting here in Florida. Now here’s something to lift your spirits. A group of students at a south Florida college camped out overnight Sunday night at their voting site so that they could be among the first to vote yesterday morning.

There has been talk about whether these young people will stand in long lines in order to vote. These students answered that question by basically saying, Hell yes! Not only are they going to show up and stand in long lines, they’re even willing to camp out overnight in order to cast their vote.

Here’s one more bright spot. When the local TV news visited these students early yesterday morning, the students had Obama stickers on their tents.

20 Comments:

Blogger Fixer said...

I think we'll get a good turnout. I've met more politically active young folks in the past year than I have ever. I'm taking it as a good sign.

October 21, 2008 2:54 AM  
Blogger Fran said...

That is great! Thanks for sharing this.

I must say that I was very heartened when I heard that more Dems are registered, by about 600,000 I think, in FL than Repubs.

We are counting on you FL!

I do worry about the real voter fraud however, the kind we saw in your state in 2000. It does my heart good to know of you and so many other truly good Floridians who want to see justice at last!

October 21, 2008 2:57 AM  
Blogger Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

When I voted early yesterday there were a slew of young people in line.

October 21, 2008 5:21 AM  
Blogger fallenmonk said...

I think the voter turnout this year will set a record for the U.S. and it is all because of Obama and the response to the horrible administration of Bush and Cheney.

October 21, 2008 5:30 AM  
Blogger Forty Paws said...

Yay! I voted yesterday in a predominantly Republican county in the predominantly Republican State of Texas. Thank goodness the ballot allows me to choose!

October 21, 2008 6:14 AM  
Blogger MRMacrum said...

I'm waiting for the 4th. I love walking down to the old Town Hall and filling out my paper ballot with the 2 inch pencils hanging from strings inside voting booths made from scrap lumber and Aunt Missie's old dresses for curtains. No machines. No touch screens. Just stern old ladies handing me ballots and making sure I stuff them in the right box. I always come out feeling I have done my duty as a citizen and that what I did might just count for something.

October 21, 2008 6:44 AM  
Blogger roger said...

i will forgo my usual delight and excitement at the actual polling place this year by going to the county building and voting early. a small way to allay a bit of anxiety.



i hope!

October 21, 2008 7:33 AM  
Blogger JM said...

Yes, there appears to be a fervor and enthusiasm that we haven't seen for quite some time that suggests good things. After the cynicism and division of "Dubya", Obama and his uplifting agenda is a welcome relief.

October 21, 2008 7:57 AM  
Blogger Randal Graves said...

Well sure a bunch of kids will like Osama, they're still naive. Stay off of my lawn!

October 21, 2008 8:16 AM  
Blogger Matthew Hubbard said...

If they'll wait in line for tickets to concerts, they'll wait around to vote. They've made a habit of it!

14.5 days until we know, not that I'm counting the hours.

Yet.

October 21, 2008 8:45 AM  
Blogger poopie said...

Never in a million years would McCain supporters do that ;)

October 21, 2008 10:49 AM  
Blogger Katharine O'Moore-Klopf said...

Texas has special early voting from Oct. 20 through 31, with regular voting on November 4. I'm in New York State. I heard this morning from my brother's partner about what the voting scene is like in Texas:

"Just got done with early voting this morning. I have to say I was fortunate to have to wait only about 15 to 20 minutes in line, [compared with the much longer waits] I've heard [about] on the news. With only a less-than-30-minute wait, it was still a longer wait than I have had in any other early-voting trip.

"I noticed something else as well: the mix of both you and old voting today!! Younger folks were outnumbering the older folks today. I have never seen that happen since I've been voting. [Roger is in his early forties.]

"You could feel the excitement and electricity in the air. You could tell that this voting season will be one for the record books. You could feel that this is a wonderful time to be an American and be [part of the] group [that will] help turn our country in the correct direction once more!!!

"And yes, I was thrilled to cast my vote for OBAMA/BIDEN 08!"

October 21, 2008 11:19 AM  
Blogger Dean Wormer said...

I got my ballot in the mail this weekend.

As soon as I can sit down with my kids and go over my choices and why I'm making them I'll be voting.

I want them to see that vote for Obama. History being made.

October 21, 2008 12:50 PM  
Blogger two crows said...

a friend [a dem] was in line yesterday. she said that for the first time since she's been voting [about 30 years] it's the 1st time ever that the people in front of her and behind her were BOTH voting Democrat.

maybe the move has begun? :)

October 21, 2008 1:10 PM  
Blogger Anne said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

October 21, 2008 2:17 PM  
Blogger Anne said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

October 21, 2008 2:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The young are watching this country fall apart around them. If they don't vote now, I can't think of anything that would cause them to any other time.

October 21, 2008 9:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good news, indeed, Pop. Thanks for sharing it.

October 22, 2008 6:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My friends are voting early, these are 22-25 year olds, I sent my absentee ballot out yesterday from 8,000 miles away. The young voters will be out this election cycle. These votes are being placed in FL, so its looking good.

October 22, 2008 8:54 AM  
Blogger Batocchio said...

I read that Republicans outnumbered Dems for early voting in Florida, but I think that's the only state where that's the case. Meanwhile, for total voters, the Dems are looking strong. Go youth vote!

October 22, 2008 11:29 AM  

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