Decision Time

In a little over a week we'll finally have some concrete answers to America's political future. We'll see either our first African American President or first female Vice President. We may find ourselves with a filibuster-proof Senate. Joe Lieberman may find himself without a caucus. California may ban gay marriage. Oregon Senator Gordon Smith may find himself without a job.

Next Tuesday is the day political junkies and pundits live for. Will Floridians screw everything up again? How will older women vote? Will there be a Bradley effect? Oh, the excitement of watching the numbers come in and listening to the talking heads analyze every tiny detail.

I voted last week. It was pretty anti-climatic. Oregonians vote by mail-in or drop-off ballot. A ballot comes in the mail, you fill it out, put in the secrecy envelope, sign and swear that it is actually you who is voting and drop in the mail or a ballot box. You can take all the time you need to read through the measures on the ballot, consult voting guides, and make intelligent decisions. Or you can vote for all the people and measures you've already decided on, then consult the Willamette Week for guidance on voting for the other stuff. When there 13 measures on the ballot (thanks, Bill Sizemore) you need a little help voting (a great argument against direct democracy). It was nice - there was no stress in finding my polling place or taking off of work to vote or parking or the nervousness that comes with "what do I do when I get there?" It was wonderful. When I lived in Des Moines I once drove to three different polling places because I had moved and didn't check to see what where my new voting place was.

So now, it's everyone else's turn to vote. While Election Night may answer a lot of questions, new questions will probably arise. Maybe even a lawsuit or two. In any event, I hope to wake up to a President-Elect Obama on November 5th.