Election Day

If you're a U.S. citizen, today's the day to get out to the polls and vote.

Hit mypollingplace.com if you're registered but unsure of where you should vote. (The website's running a bit slow as of this writing, which I take to be a good sign.)

If you can't get through to mypollingplace.com, then head over to your search engine of choice and look up your state's board of elections website.

The common cliche is that many Americans have fought and died to preseve our right to vote - which shouldn't be taken lightly - and hopefully after the excruciatingly close elections of 2000 people will realize that even their single vote can make a difference, especially in states where the race is very close.

Even if you're not in a "battleground state", though, exercising your right to vote is still important. First of all, no one wants to see another split between the popular vote and the electoral college. Additionally, consider the case of 1992 - there was one exit poll (sorry, I can't find a link) that asked people if they would have voted for Perot if they thought he had "a realistic chance of winning". As it turns out, the number of people who would have voted for Perot if they thought he could win would have been enough for Perot to actually win (at least in the state where the poll was conducted).

In other words, don't let the pollsters and the pundits get you down. I went out and voted first thing this morning, and if 6am in my precinct is any indication, then turnout is going to be huge and all bets are off. Vote for your candidates regardless of who is "supposed" to win in your state (or, if you're voting later in the day, who the media projects as the "likely winners"). Exercise your right!

Posted by Dan on November 02, 2004 at 09:18 AM | TrackBack