yesterday i got 2 texts from Bernie’s campaign, reminding me to vote today. i remembered to shut off the reminder on my phone so it didn’t wake me or anyone else at midnight. i woke up at 6 minutes after 7am and my first thought was ‘the polls are open!’
we were ready to go out the door when Sir Os asked if i had my voters’ card. i looked at him in disbelief. isn’t the michigan drivers’ license that we spent 2 months last winter getting ridiculous numbers of documents for enough in this state? (i’ve only voted once before in my life, as i described in my first diary on dkos, and that was in idaho. there is a lot about american civics i don’t know, or even know that i don’t know.)
‘No, look, here’s my card,’ he said patiently. ‘when we got them in the mail, i remember you saying that you were putting yours somewhere safe where you wouldn’t forget it…but i don’t remember what the somewhere is.’
well, geesh. i don’t even remember getting the card. sucks to have brain damage.
i usually put important things in my top right desk drawer before i get around to filing them. my voters’ card wasn’t there. there were some warranties i’d forgotten about, though; good to know. it wasn’t in the kneehole drawer, either, stuck back behind the glue, stamps, staples and tape.
i looked through my wallet again, taking every single thing out except the change. ah! that’s it! ….oh...just the receipt. maybe that would be enough. but what if it isn’t? i can’t let Bernie down because of some stupid thing like this.
we’ve lived in 5 different houses in the last 4 years and 8 days; 2 of those houses and 2 ½ years were in east africa. our filing system is no longer a system. we are currently living in abt 900 sq feet, a drastic downsizing. a lot of important stuff is still stacked in boxes in a shed out back. but, the voters’ card HAS to be in here, somewhere as we got set up as official michigan residents last winter.
maybe it’s with my passport? no. i looked through the small backpack i use much of the time. not there.
i looked through the old REI hand bag i’d taken to tanzania, into every pocket, behind every snap, every zipper. i should submit this durable bag to a contest featuring sustainability; it is a resounding rebuttal to planned obsolescence. i still use it in public and am not embarrassed; in fact i still get compliments on it. (thinking things like this, rooting me into the tangible solidity of right here, right now is how i deal with rising panic and dismay.)
finally, Sir Os and i stood in the dining room and looked at each other. ‘they may let you by with the receipt,’ he said kindly, seeing my distress. ‘or, give you a provisional at least.’
just as i was sagging into extremely negative, even nasty thoughts about my seizure-hammered head, i thought of one more place to look: the temporary file binder i’m using until we can figure out a place to put a filing cabinet. maybe my hands remembered because i flipped right to the file marked ‘voters’ registration’ and there it was; the card still not punched out from the card stock it had come in. this was, of course, right where it should have been. and it hadn’t even occurred to me to look there first! I give myself plenty of material for mirth.
we got to our polling place. there were only a few cars there. it was well staffed with conscientious blue-haired women and a man our age that Sir Os knew from 40+ years ago.
and, after all that drama at home, we didn’t need our voters’ cards! photo id was sufficient.
except for our blue-hair misspelling my name and thinking Sir Os was his (90 year old!) dad, everything went smoothly. i was delighted that the young man ahead of us was also new to voting as he asked for help with every step, clearly as determined as i to get this thing done right.
we left, ran an errand, and when we went past the polling place half an hour later the parking lot looked nearly full. i hope it stays full, all day, and that a whole lot of other first-time young voters show up.
so, i’m very happy.
the sun is trying to come out, it’s 59 degrees and that last 4” snow is disappearing leaving huge brown patches of lawn and field. and I VOTED!
and, icing on the cake, the very first red-winged blackbirds of this season are singing in the apple tree outside our window.