Yesterday, I stood in line for an hour to cast my vote. For months, I had been hearing about the different candidates, some of what they would do to make things better, and mostly how the other guy would screw things up. I had been bombarded with tv ads, political posts from friends on Facebook, and more mailings than I could count.
I spent some time yesterday morning before I went to the polls doing my final research on each candidate, including the overshadowed state and local elections. I scribbled the names down on a scrap piece of paper, folded it up and put it in my wallet, then headed to the early voting center.
Walking in, there were half a dozen people trying to hand me the slate for their political party. I told them I already had my "cheat sheet" in my wallet. Standing in front of me were two older women, clutching their GOP slates. Behind me was a man in designer jeans and a sport coat, trying to get reception on his phone so he could send out some emails while he waited in line.
There were a bunch of mothers with babies in strollers, people on their work lunch break, twenty something's with tattoos and piercings, hipsters, suburbanites, immigrants, and veterans.
Each of us were there for our own reasons, with our own slate of candidates, our own opinions, and our own hopes. One lady came out of the voting room smiling and said, "God bless America!" as she put on her "I voted today" sticker and headed to the door.
When I actually made it to the voting machine to cast my ballot, I pulled out my scrap paper with the names of my chosen candidates. It took about 30 seconds for me to punch in all of the names, double check to make sure I did it right, and cast my vote.
When I walked out, noticed the line had doubled in length from when I had arrived. Someone along the way asked me how long it took. When I told them an hour, there were lots of groans. But no one left.
I got back to my car, and NPR came on the radio, in the middle of more political news reporting. Apparently it wasn't going to stop just because I had voted already. I turned the radio off.
As I drove back to my office, I reflected on what it meant that people were so passionate about all of this political stuff. I even found myself in these last days before the election was over, growing increasingly passionate.
I think what it comes down to is hope. There is nothing scarier for people than an unknown future. Will I lose my job? What if a loved one, or even I, get sick? What if a war starts or natural disaster strikes? We don't have control over these things. But with our vote, we can help choose who we want to be in charge in these situations. It's a bit of a security blanket we can hold on to as we face uncertainty.
I think that's ok. It's ok to want some certainty or to feel like you at least have a little control over what is happening. But we also cannot forget that regardless of who is elected, we already have hope. We follow the One who thought up and created this place and these people. We are children of the One who holds the future in the palm of His hands. We believe in the One who, though the earth may shake and the mountains fall into the sea, His right hand will hold us fast.
If your candidates win, be glad, but remember where your hope truly lies - in God and not people. If your candidates don't win, don't worry. They aren't really in charge anyways.
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