Voting

Sg, we went down to the church at the end of the street this morning to vote. We got in line right at 7:00, when the line extended halfway down Mell Avenue. We only had to wait about an hour, though, and you had fun playing on the steps of the church and with the flowers growing out front. It was fairly warm for November, even by Atlanta standards.

You went to the voting “booth” with me, and you touched the screen for Barack Obama and Jim Martin. No offense, but you were slowing down the process and getting heavy at the same time, so I took over from there and handled the school board races, constitutional amendments, etc.

We saw a few neighbors, and everyone in line was friendly. Voting in Candler Park is kind of fun because you can be pretty sure that about 90% of the people in line around you agree with you on about 90% of the issues and candidates up for a vote. Let’s hear it for enclaves!

Then we went to Starbucks, where they’re giving away free coffee to those who have voted. On the way out, a reporter from the Atlanta Journal Constitution spoke with us about the free coffee, and about the statement by the Georgia Secretary of State that the promotion is illegal. I said that surely free coffee in exchange for any vote (and not a vote one way or the other) was not what the legislature had in mind when the law was passed. You said “I got a milk”, which was true.

(The law, § 21-2-570 of the Georgia Code, says “Any person who gives or receives, or offers to give or receive, or participates in the giving or receiving of money or gifts for the purpose of registering as a voter, voting, or voting for a particular candidate in any primary or election shall be guilty of a felony”—so I guess mommy and I committed a felony this morning. And then spoke to a reporter about it. And gave our names. Come to think of it, if we’re in jail now, and you’re being raised by someone else, you may be better off.)

The poll workers gave you an “I’m a Georgia Voter” sticker, which you lost before we left Starbucks. You were kind of mad that I wouldn’t give you mine (which is fair, I guess, as I don’t usually show a lot of possessiveness about stickers). But daddy might want more felonious coffee later.