To Vote Or Not...What's The Question?

          I’ve often been amazed at the number of people who whine about our government officials, yet those same people rarely, if ever, can be bothered to get off their bums to actually cast a vote. 

          In Australia, voting is compulsory.  Of course there are still countless numbers who whinge about their elected officials, but in my mind, they have a better right to do so.  At least they tried to get someone else elected.

          Last week we had primary elections here and I discovered some of the reasons Americans prefer to stay home on polling day.  I believe it’s called stink and frustration!

          For years my polling place has been across the street from my house in the local middle school cafeteria.  A leisurely stroll on a lovely morning.  But not this year.   This year some brilliant bureaucrat decided that was all too easy and I should now drive several miles to a further school.  This particular establishment of learning has very limited parking so it was necessary to line up, cool my heels and wait for a parking stall to become vacant.

          Ah, but why quibble?  I was there to do my civic duty.  After all wasn’t this one of the reasons I became a US citizen?  So, by golly, not even a huge inconvenience was going to stop me! 

          As I entered the actual polling room decorated with twenty or so privacy cubicles I was nearly knocked over by the pong.  It was apparent the last time the canvas material used to create these cubicles had seen the light of day was at least four years ago.  And no one had thought to give them a bit of an airing or at least given them a squirt of Febreeze before erecting them for our use now.

          I was given the choice of voting manually or electronically.  I chose manually mainly because there was a short line in front of the electronic gadget and I didn’t know how long I’d be able to continue to hold my breath.

But my decision was a mistake.  The pong of mildew was nearly overwhelming inside the cubicle. 

          Then I discovered how the government was going to save us all tons of loot.  Pens and string!  Attached to the shelf by a string was one of these el cheapo plastic biros.  The kind you can buy for about $1 for a packet of 100.  I’m ambidextrous but I usually prefer to fill out forms with my left hand.  Unfortunately this was not to be that day.  The string was so short that I could barely stretch it toward the form with my right hand and try to fill in all the little squares.  What an exercise in futility.  Did the bureaucrats really believe that we poor dingbat voters were going to abscond with their crummy little pens if they didn’t tie them securely to the cubicle frames?

          But, I did my duty.  And I do applaud all the volunteers who manned the various polling stations around the state.  I’m sure it’s a fairly thankless job, not to mention a real stinky one around my way.  I just hope someone has the good sense to give those canvas squares a good whip through the washing machines before November comes.

          Let’s face it.  It’s hard enough to get voters off their bums under perfect conditions, why give them the excuse of pongy polling places to add to their list of reasons why they can’t/won’t vote?