Notes on the election

As everyone already knows, the presidential election is over and for the past couple days every political commentator, analyst, and journalist has exhausted their opportunity to put their two cents in on the results, why voters voted the way did, what they predict will happen in the future, etc. That is, except me. :)

Don't worry though, I'll be short and to the point... or at least I'll try to be. As I've heard many other people say since Tuesday, never have I been more proud to be an American, and I say that for a couple reasons. Since elementary school, I remember reading in history books about the great generations before us, those that endured the Revolutionary War and secured our nation's independence; the suffragettes who risked their safety and reputations to ensure women's right to vote; the many Americans that fought for our country in WWII and those that stayed home to provide and support the troops abroad all while maintaining normalcy as best they could at home; the many Americans, both white and black, that fought for Civil Rights; and the list goes on. I was proud of those that lived before me, who risked everything all for a better tomorrow. But thing about all that I read was that it was another generation, not mine. Granted, I'm not really old enough to have a legacy just yet and it is a little difficult to save the world when your biggest problems in life are trying to pass linear Algebra and keeping your room clean, but reading history made me want to leave my mark, whether it be individually or part of a collective group. For the first time this week, I felt as though I was part of something greater that had historical significance and would result in positive and progressive change for our country. We elected the nation's first black president and I can tell my children and grand children that I was a part of it; that's pretty awesome.

Not only was the actual outcome impressive, I was almost more excited about the activity that lead up to the election. Never have I seen (and yes, I do know that I am still quite young, but still) such an interest in a presidential election, or any election for that matter, in my lifetime. When I was younger, my mom would always take my brother, sister, and I to the polls with her when she voted. She would do her thing while we went over to the kids' section and filled out junior ballots, after which we each got an "I voted" sticker, which was what I was actually looking forward to most of all. But what I did notice, and more so as I got older, that voting wasn't really the cool thing to do. Whether it was apathy or a feeling of insignificance, most people didn't see the value in taking the ten minutes needed to cast their vote. However, that all seemed to change in this election. Like usual, campaign coverage started two years ago, typical for a presidential election, but so did the push to get people registered to vote and aware of the issues effecting our country and the world today. And what was even more impressive was the response. Movie stars, musicians, athletes, prominent social figures all worked to encourage people citizens to register and vote on election day. From what I've noticed, young people in the 18-30 demographic had a huge influence in the election, more so than ever before, through campaigning and getting the word out themselves. Whether or not your candidate got elected, it's important to notice that people have finally caught and realized that their vote does make a difference, that it makes a statement. And whatever the outcome, it was so neat to see how loudly and clearly the People's statement was. I honestly got goosebumps while watching the footage of the election, seeing the percentages and updates as they came in. I'm so proud of our country for finally realizing their impact and taking action, for actually caring about the outcome and their future.