Vote

My journey to election day started back in August, 2002. After reading about Howard Dean in The Guardian, I called Burlington, Vermont.

It’s been a long 26 months. In just over five hours, I’ll walk into the voting booth and cast a vote for John Kerry, Barack Obama, Gloria Andersen, Rob Freedman, Mike Kisler, Hiram Wurf, and Tina Beaird.

People ask me how to get involved, as if there’s some magic to it. There isn’t. One phone call in August, 2002, and less than two years later, everyone on that list (with the exception of Senator Kerry) has been in my family room this year.

As tired as I am by these last two years, I’m energized. I’m excited about what we’ve built here in Naperville. I’m thrilled at the caliber of candidates we’ve run in DuPage County. And I’m cautiously optimistic at the early reports of unprecedented voter turn-out nationwide.

People are getting in the game. As my Dad said to me the other day, “If you’re on the field, you’ve earned respect.” More people than ever are on the field, and that’s a good thing.

To those of you reading this in the U.S., get out and vote. Get on the field, and stay on the field. The view’s better from down here, where we can marvel at 100 million citizens exercising our control over our government.