I Voted!

I voted today. In New Jersey, all voting is by mail-in ballot. The ballot can go in the mail, in a county-sponsored dropbox, or one can take it to the polls. The many texts and emails asking me about my "voting plan" made me reflect on which of these I thought best.  I decided to go to the county dropbox.  

With my plan in place, I turned to the ballot. It took quite a bit of work to learn about the candidates and the public questions. Then it took work to fill out the ballot, put it in the envelope, sign the form BUT NOT DETACH IT, and put all that in another envelope, find a convenient drop off place in my county and go there. Not as easy as strolling around the corner to Hazel Avenue School and pulling levers. 

When I got to the drop-off spot, however, I was really really enchanted. I loved that the ballot box was under the gazebo across from the fire station in South Orange and daily decorated. There was a certain joy and dignity to it that shouted, "Ain't democracy great?" It seemed very official and very inviting to me. I think others thought so too as there was a steady stream of people arriving to vote. 

Here's a photo of me, all masked, putting my ballot in the box.  And then a photo of the voter after me -- you can see how attractively the gazebo is decorated.