I am a great believer in using your democratic right to vote. I feel by voting, it allowed me to have a good whinge about the times my candidate or party did not win, or a government brought in policies I did not agree with. It also let me feel satisfied when I was on the right side of the result and saw good policies being introduced in my country. Placing my vote each election, whether General Election, Council Election, Scottish Parliament Election or two recent Referendums, is important to me. One vote may not change the country but if 100 000 of us all decided not to use that vote or one million thought the same, it could make all the difference on lots of the issues we care about.
I have always been interested in US politics and I'll be watching with everyone else who can tune in (it's a late night over here for election addicts!) In many elections, politicians and celebrities are lining up to tell you who you should vote for. That's fine if you reside in the country having the election but I don't like it when they tell people in another country how to vote. Some undecided voters didn't appreciate President Obama telling Britain to vote Remain in the 2016 EU Referendum or face no trade deal with the US. I expect a lot of US voters don't appreciate Prince Harry sticking his neb in either! I won't be offering an opinion on who you should vote for.
I simply hope you can vote for whoever you think is going to do the best for you and your family or whoever you think is the best for your country. That's all we can ask for really, isn't it. If you have already voted in some early voting format or by post, great, well done you! If you plan to vote at some point today, please do so as safely as you can. It worries me to see fencing go up around the White House and see people boarding up their property, fearing that whatever way the result goes there could be violent protests. There is also fear that the result will be challenged and courts trying to decide if particular votes cast in certain ways and at certain times can be counted or must be excluded. I really hope we don't get into that kind of chaos but I do think it might go that way if the result is close.
I hope you stay safe and that your vote is counted.
I'm so tired of all the political ads that have been running nonstop for weeks and weeks I'll be really glad when this election cycle is finally over. (And I did vote!)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't deal with all those political ads! We aren't allowed to do that over here thankfully. Each party has a spending limit so you maybe see one ad for each party during what is usually about a 6 week campaign!
DeleteWell looks like you will be able to watch the results for days. Mr. Barb and I voted absentee by mail because he has a high risk COVID condition (technically I do to but I always forget about it because I'm doing fine with it). So we stayed as safe as possible. I won't lie - I am afraid of some of the things that may happen because of the outcome. People can be so stupid. Never before in my life have I seen people having to board up things and take safety precautions during a presidential election!
ReplyDeleteAfter the first day of waiting for the results, my dad and I got really tired of how slow the count was and we went to watch some border control documentaries from Australia and New Zealand instead!
DeleteIt looks like the worst of the violence didn't happen as I was concerned about it. I did see what appeared to be BLM and other groups on the west coast causing trouble and I was also concerned about Trump fans with guns outside counts taking place. The world has gone mad I think.
I have tried to follow it from Spain and it is so incredible everything that is happening right now. Good luck :)
ReplyDeleteI'm ok, I'm away from it all here in the UK and I'm now avoiding all the news channels to get away from it all!
DeleteMy state has done universal mail-in voting for most of my voting life, so I voted by mail in mid-October. I’m hoping we get a result today. Or at least a really solid projected result. I’ve barely slept since the polls closed. I’m a wreck.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I might be looking at a postal vote for the Scottish Parliament elections next year if it goes ahead, just to be safe, though our polling station is close by and never usually busy during the day.
DeleteWe are a vote by mail only state so that was interesting. And easier. In FL we had a choice but I'm glad to have it (the voting part) over.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
It seemed to take an eternity to get the count over and done with compared to other years. Now we have the 'fun' of all the legal stuff to come.
DeleteI absolutely agree with voting if for no other reason than it gives you a legitimate right to bitch about the political situation when needed. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't stand the "one vote makes no difference" mentality.
I really wish they'd just be done with the US election now though... Talk about dragging on! It makes me appreciate the quick brutality of our system more. Election result in = old PM get out. Often in the same day. It's beautiful. This faff with days and days to declare a winner then MONTHS before the old president gets tf out? Nope. Not for me. Probably a good thing I'm not in America!
I always enjoy moaning about what is going on in the country! Yep if we all thought like that about one vote, the country would be in a sad state for sure!
DeleteI'm now fed up with the whole election and avoiding all the news channels! I much prefer our system where we vote, get it counted, get the new regime in and move on!