Suffrage

"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party." I suppose we can forgive Charles E. Weller for not including "women" back in 1867 when he first devised this cunning typing exercise, since it would be another thirty-three years before women could vote here in the United States of America. This is significant, since there are still a number of countries that continue to deny this right to the ladies, Saudi Arabia chief among them. Then there's Lebanon where Proof of elementary education is required for women but not for men. Voting is compulsory for men but optional for women.
Compulsory voting? How can that be? Granted, the images coming from Registrar of Voters offices around our nation over the past few days certainly give that flavor. Lines around the block, eager faces waiting for their chance to participate in the democratic process. No doubt this is due in large part to the sneaking suspicion that those machines and hanging chads are what helped bring on the past eight years of Pinheaded Governance. Trust is a very important part of any relationship, and we can only hope that the faith that has been extended in the mail and via absentee ballots will be rewarded.
Then there's the genuine enthusiasm for getting out and voting. I became enamored of the experience relatively late in life, after a friend pointed out that, if I was so caught up in current affairs and global politics, I should find my way over to my local precinct and cast my own ballot. The fact that voting wasn't compulsory was the part that really challenged me. I am very good at doing what I am supposed to do, but not always so good at doing what I ought to do.
Tomorrow is different. Tomorrow is something I, along with an estimated eighty-five percent of the registered voters here in the United States, must do. See you at the polls.