Make A Difference

This morning I heard two stories on the radio that made me literally cry in the shower with pure happiness and optimism.

First, a middle-aged black man had lined up and waited (at that point) 3 hours to cast an early ballot in Los Angeles county. When the interviewer held the mic up, he said, "This is gonna make a difference. You don't understand, I ain't never done this in my whole life. But this, this is gonna make a difference!" The real joy and optimism and determination in his voice, not to mention what he'd gone through to cast that ballot, set the waterworks going the first time.

Second, an older white woman in the town of Walsh, Colorado (pop. 700), was reported to have become a bit of a political junkie, for the first time following polls and pundits online any time she had a spare minute. The interviewer asked her what in the world she was going to do starting Wednesday, with all that free time she had. She said, "I don't know, I suppose go back to my reality shows or something . . . or, maybe, I hope, maybe all this will make me want to keep up and interested in what happens next."

God willing, that will happen to most Americans. Could we really, truly be at the beginning of a time when political debates regularly garner more viewers than the American Idol finale (and I'm no enemy of American Idol)? Could it be that people will be either so inspired, or so disgusted, whichever, by this campaign and its results that there will be a renaissance of political interest and involvement. I hope so!

Tomorrow once again I will be working the hotline phones at Election Protection, a nonpartisan effort of the Voting Rights Project of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (who really need a better name). I and 24 of my pals in DC (and others in other cities) will be answering calls from around the country helping people to understand and exercise their right to vote, and sending volunteers in person to polling places where people are in danger of being wrongly disenfranchised. The number is in an earlier post. Whether you're canvassing your neighborhood, sporting a lawn sign or bumper sticker, discussing the evening news or teaching your children about democracy, please get involved and, most importantly of all, please vote.