In honor of Election Day here is how my voting process went.  I voted early.  For one thing, I don't really like crowds and I hate waiting in lines.  I also didn't want to wait and have to take two kids to stand in a long line.  I know you think that is whimpy and un-patriotic, but I had a hard enough time voting early with both kids in tow.

I explained to the kids last Wednesday that we were heading over to the nearby junior college so I could vote.  Will's school, his dad, and my mom are political junkies.  That translated into me having the world's most rabid, passionate first grader in the county when it came to voting and voting for his candidate of choice.  I explained to Will that 1. A lot of people died so everyone had the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice without being bullied, and 2. That meant he needed to keep quiet about his opionions in the polling place. 

I parked and told both kids that it was important to be quiet in the polling place.  I explained this was a serious activity.  They both said "Ok."  We walked in reverently to the already packed voting place.

I handed over my voter registration card.  The workers checked it thoroughly.  The man passed it back and smiled.  That was all it took for Gigi to leave my side and go to the other side of the table to greet every single election volunteer with a hug and her life story.  And since Gigi was so friendly and since they all loved her, the workers then turned their attention to Will.  They asked him how he was doing and he militaristicly told them "I cannot talk to you about the vote we are casting.  It is our business and no one else's.  You can't talk to me about who to vote for."  While Will was all business, Gigi was still making the rounds, greeting people, shaking hands, giving hugs. 

They looked somewhat amused. 

"She'd be great on the campaign trail.  She makes good connections with voters.  I'd vote for her."  A man said.  I shrugged.  I'm not ready for the Presidency of Gigi. 

I pulled Gigi away from her voting place hug fest and went to the open voting booth. Despite going to early voting, the room was still packed.  I logged on to the voting system and Gigi was gone.  I looked down the row and saw her greeting people at the voting stations.  "Hi!  I'm Gigi.  I'm two.  How are you?"  She said.  Luckily people didn't seem upset with an overly-friendly two year old wearing all pink and a hairbow as big as her head.  I nervously looked around, half expecting some government voting agency to charge us with disrupting voting.  She came back  and I voted - quickly - and we got out of there.

Will said "I thought you said this was an important activity.  That was really quick."

"It is important."

"But if people died for it, why was it so fast?"

"People died so it would be easy for each of us to vote.  In a lot of countries it's very dangerous to try to vote.  Some people in other countries don't get to vote at all."

He looked around and smiled.  "Gigi would hate living in that kind of country."

Me too.