I just sent away for my absentee ballot. How weird having to call the supervisor of elections office and explain, “Well, see, I’m walking across the country and I don’t have an address where I can have the ballot sent to.” And have the person say, “You’re what? Wow! I know I’m not supposed to take time to talk with people like this, but, well, where did you start?” We talked for a few minutes. I shared “I’m walking for transgender, bisexual, lesbian and gay equality.” They were fully supportive and in the end said, “Well, you definitely need to vote so let’s figure this out.”
I wanted to know first off how long it would take for the ballot to get to me. Once they told me it would go out in the next day, I told them I’d call back once I figured out the best place for them to send the ballot. I hung up and called a post office outside of Birmingham, AL, where I’ll be in a week or less, and talked with one of the folks there. Due to my unusual circumstances, they agreed to let me have the ballot sent to them. I thanked them and hung up. I called the elections office again and gave them the address of the Alabaman post office. My ballot is now officially requested. Now I just need to research the history and positions of the candidates in my district to make my voting decisions. Then next week I’ll walk into the post office on my way through Birmingham and make my voice heard – PROGRESS NOT REGRESS!
Moral of the story: If I can figure out how to vote – YOU can figure out how to vote! Never forget, unless you are not voting for a specific politically motivated reason, you are allowing the voices of others to elect those who enact legislation that affects your life. And further, voting is just step one towards being an engaged citizen. So take the first step and get your ass down to the the voting booth! Then keep stepping towards a better world through all of your actions!
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