Good news, USA: the vote has been rocked, and I contributed to the rocking.
As I've mentioned before, my polling place is the local retirement home. I like this because nothing gets me excited about democracy quite like the crinkle of adult diapers. I think, "If I cast my vote wisely, then I can be imprisoned in something like this one day." (Casting poorly means I'll probably get hunted for sport by the New Whig Party of 2142.) It adds some gravity to the electoral process.
At my polling place (and every other, I suspect), you can get a sticker after you vote. The sticker says, "I Voted". I always get my sticker and wear it proudly for the rest of the day, but this afternoon, I only saw one other person wearing something similar. Either Americans aren't voting or we hate stickers. The first option is completely expected, the second is a little terrifying. We differ on our ideas about taxation, abortion, and homosexuals, but damn it, this is a sticker-loving country. I pray that this is only a publicity problem, and that if people knew about these stickers, turn-out would triple.
Sadly, the sticker isn't a scratch-and-sniff. Just imagine if it were. You get your sticker, you give it a scratch, and then for the rest of the day, you smell like Teddy Roosevelt. (He was a big taxidermist, so that might not be such a good idea.) "What is that? It smells like a rotting coyote," your cubicle mate might say. "Oh does it?" You reply. "I smell nothing but democracy, baby."
Posted by Cody at November 7, 2006 8:47 PM