i’ve been reading about how important it is for you to take your kids to see you vote. I pretty much have always taken Sean with me to vote. I felt kind of deprived now that that’s a thing, to take your kids to see your vote. Sean drives himself to school now and I probably would vote with my Mom earlier in the day. I would not, “ Take my kid” to see me vote. Bummer!
However, today my Mom and I ran late getting me ready for the day so we did not finish until just before Sean got out of school. I texted him and asked him if he would take me to vote. He has done this before and he agreed that he would.
As soon as he got home, we left to go to the poll. Since I have lived in my house for the past nine years, I have been to the poll many times. My current district’s poll does not have a voting booth for disabled voters. Because of this, I usually fill out my ballot on top of the school’s stage located in the gymnasium . Normally, my son or my Mom will fill out the ballot as I tell them too.
This year, we arrived to the poll and as I had Sean fill out my voter’s card and I handed them my license. There are two women who take that information whom I have seen there many times now. This time, for me and other disabled voters, they had a folding table set up so I did not have to fill out my ballot on the stage. I really felt like I matter! One of the woman told me that I do and that she thought of me when she wanted the table put up.
Even though there was a table so I could see the ballot right in front of me, I could not mark it myself because I no longer have the hand-eye coordination and cannot hold a pen. Sean filled it out for me instead. We discussed each item.
When he was finished, he turned the ballot over and double checked that it was all filled out. I told him that was good to do in that and that we need to put it back into the folder before we take it over to the machine to be counted. He laughed and asked me if he should write my name on the top. I told them that he could write it on the strip that we pull off before inserting it into the machine.
He did and I placed the strip into my pocket. I asked the woman if they still had stickers when I got there because I absolutely LOVE getting a sticker! She told me that they ran out but I thought that was OK because so many people were actually voting this time. As Sean and I were filling out the ballot, a guy came in and gave them more stickers! YAY!!!
When we put the ballot into the machine, one of the women handed me two stickers because Sean helped me so he gets a sticker as well!
See?!
The next time we go to the poll, he will be able to vote WITH me!