Election Night

I let X-man stay up an extra 30 minutes to gaze at the electoral map on the iPad. He really liked trying to guess which states would vote for which candidate. But he was very sad that he only got to make the map of the states red or blue. He liked that in some areas there was a "green" option for the libertarians. He thinks we should have more political parties, and I totally agree with him.

It was nice, sitting in our living room switching between equally lame iTV political news from WSJ live and Fox News (the B team). I had a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows. MacTroll rubbed my lame foot. When he makes circles around certain parts of my incision scar it feels like there's some kind of worm or fish swimming around just behind where his finger is touching. It's kind of creepy. I also have lots of tender spots in my foot along the bottom that are more like little knots.

We also kept our iPads in our laps going back and forth between different news sites reading different headlines.

Then at 11:20 p.m. I turned in to bed. I'm tired, but happy. Election night always makes me anxious. It's like waiting for Christmas morning if you win. But it's like the Grinch came if you lose. I think 2000 was the worst election ever. I hate close races. Any time lawyers are involved -- I get nervous.

Election Drama

For months various representatives' computers have been calling my home to get me to vote for them. The most frequent and nastiest of the computer recorded calls have been from the Davis/Gill face off. We have a landline pretty much for my own sanity knowing that if I leave X-man with a babysitter, they have a phone that can call 9-1-1, just in case someone's cell battery is dead. We've just learned that if we don't know the phone number, we don't pick up.

I did not watch the presidential candidates debate last night. I hate debate season. It's all high drama. I don't like the tension in the room of two people who obviously would rather spit on each other and talk down to each other than talk with each other. It's ugly and uncomfortable. It's reality TV. And I've never been a fan of reality TV.

The only really good thing about this election season is that this year, I can do early voting at the Tolono Public Library instead of driving over to Brookens in Urbana next to the jail. It's kind of fun. I can vote and then I can check out some library materials. Sweet! They're the only library taking part in our area, and you have to be from specific voting districts, but I still think it's awesome.

Responsible and Fun -- that's me!

Here starts the responsibility:
Last night I went to the school board candidate forum at the Mellon Administrative building next to Southside Elementary School. The five candidates sat at the front of the room at some tables with microphones and questions were collected from the public and asked to the panelists. I was only able to stay from 7-8 p.m., since a friend of ours was watching X-man while I was there, and I really needed to get him and me to bed at a decent hour.

I have to admit something to you. Since college, if there are candidates I don't know anything about... (like when we used to vote for the U of I trustees way back when) I usually vote for the women and any names that sound like they're not white males. Yes, I know, that's insane. But I figure, when most other voters just choose the first three names on the ballot (if there's a list to choose from), I'm not all that much different, except I choose the people that aren't usually holding elected offices.

I shamed myself for not knowing about the candidates for other elections (or really caring) this year, so it's not like I judge others who do what I did or just don't care who they vote for because they send their children to private school. But this time, I made the effort. I know the names I'll choose on my ballot and why I'm voting for them. I'm almost comfortable enough to call up their election offices and have them put a signs in my front yard. But -- no one really drives down my street, so that's probably not the best use of their campaign funds. Plus, I've never been political enough to put a sign in my yard.

On the other hand since I'm on the ballot for anyone in the Tolono Library District (Savoy, Tolono and Sadorus) to vote for this year, I feel like I should be somehow more involved with the process.

Here starts the fun:
On Saturday morning, I'm fulfilling my first volunteer opportunity through the Savoy Rotary club. I'll be working the Ready, Set, Grow! Registration desk at Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana from 8:30 until 10:30. This means MacTroll will be taking X-man to Prairie Fruit Farm with the Super Family to see the baby goats and eat breakfast. Then at 1 p.m., we're headed to Seussical Jr. at the Virginia Theater  and that night, a new friend and I are headed out to Jupiter's at the Crossing for a little Brat Pack action.

But first I need to get my butt up and go to the grocery store. For some reason, that sounds very boring right now. Maybe I'll take my headphones and rock out at Meijer. :-)

Thank You, Illini Pundit

One of the things I find most annoying about living in Champaign-Urbana is that none of the local media update their websites enough. For example, last night I wanted election results... and there was nothing at the three TV stations, the newspaper and the April 2009 election blog thread wasn't working at our county clerk's office. (Remember I don't have TV.)

Apparently, I'm not the only blogger that this frustrated, and Illini Pundit, a neighbor and friend, went down to the county building to report the returns -- making him more useful to the community than any of the local media. Still at almost 7 a.m., no articles are printed anywhere -- they have to be reporting things in their morning news shows, right?

Anyway, if you want to see the voting break down check out Pundit's site. Oh, and yes, the school district is going to get some cash. :-) So, get ready to start stimulating our local economy...

Yeah, I voted but I hated it

This morning I walked into my polling area in Savoy and placed my vote. I found this election particularly annoying because besides voting for school board members and voting whether or not to increase the county-wide sales tax to support the schools the rest of my ballot appeared pointless.

Most people ran unopposed. There's really no one to vote for in those situations. It's not like you have a choice. You're getting that person (or those people), so what's the point in filling out the bubble unless you're really gung ho for that candidate? I found it annoying.

I'm curious to see what happens with the sales tax this time around. I was uber disappointed that it didn't pass last November. Outside of the presidential race, it was the only one I was really excited to know the outcome. It failed by such narrow margins, mostly in the rural areas according to the News-Gazette. This time I don't have my hopes up. Mostly because the chance of X-man going to a neighborhood school in Savoy when he's in kindergarten in 2011 are basically zero. We moved here six years ago, and the papers have been talking about building a school down here for a decade, but my little community is waiting in line while people in other parts of the city (who have been waiting for multiple DECADES) may finally get their school improvements. 

It's disappointing how this community, situated next to one of the brainiest universities in the world, consistently refuses to take care of the educational needs of its children. 

Community

Last night sitting on our couch milliseconds after ABC News called California for Obama and then announced that he was the new president-elect I hugged MacTroll, I called KTDID in California in excitement and then my heart broke.

Every race is important on a ballot. I believe that. But next to the presidential race the one that really spoke to me and got me passionate about voting this year was a sales tax increase for Champaign county that would provide funds for building maintenance and infrastructure for the entire county. Every school district would benefit. And although I know several people find altruism to be some kind of character flaw, I think overt expressions of support and compassion for the betterment of community are a positive step toward peace. While I was talking to KTDID I was sad to see that the sales tax measure was razor close, but it was losing. 

Never mind the fact that I live in Savoy and wanted a neighborhood school for my child and the other couple hundred kids that currently ride buses all over town to get to elementary school. I wanted it to pass to restructure the buildings to provide better access to technology for students, to make the buildings more ecologically friendly to the environment and to make sure that the schools in the area have enough seats for anticipated growth in each of the districts. I would have voted for it even if there wasn't the promise of an elementary school in my neighborhood on the ballot because I believe all kids deserve a safe, kind place to learn.

My trouble is that I also know people are losing their jobs and new ones aren't immediately available. I know that when you have trouble putting food on the table and making rent or house payments 1% sales tax doesn't seem possible. And I understand people who had to vote with their families' empty bellies and cold rooms in mind. 

But for the last few weeks as I talked to people about the proposition, I was astounded at how many answers I received from other parents as to why they didn't think they were voting for the proposition. Reasons like:

"My kids will almost be done by the time the changes take place, why would I spend extra money -- no one spent it on my kids."

"Washington and Garden Hills don't need those extra seats. Besides we only need to LOOK like we're trying to meet the court decree requirements."

"I don't want them to close Carrie Busey. I don't care how many schools I have a Priority A chance of getting into. That's my kid's school."

It became clear to me that I was running into many voters who believed that they would only vote for something if it benefitted their sheep, rather than the whole flock. It depressed me, but I held out hope. And then last night in his acceptance speech, Barack Obama said this: 

"Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people."

In the coming years, I hope to see more spirit of patriotism in our community as well as in our country and in the world. We need to remember that it takes a village... and our responsibilities to better the world don't stop at our front doors.