Have you voted yet?

If an 86-year-old recently-naturalized U.S. citizen weakened by Parkinson’s can make it to the polls then you should too (assuming you’re a registered voter):

The picture of (Maria) Reyes holding her small U.S. flag (during her citizenship ceremony) has an Ellis Island quality to it, tinted with loss and hope. I've watched new citizens being sworn in, and it's impossible not to be moved by all the people who have escaped hunger and war, united by the desire for a second chance…

Reyes, who has trouble speaking because of her illness and so reverts to the more comfortable Spanish, had not decided on the entire raft of propositions and other matters on Tuesday's ballot when I spoke to her last week. But she is discussing them with her daughter one by one, Reyes said, because she considers voting a matter of pride and duty.

"I'm praying for this country every night," she said, and for the welfare of 14 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, and a great-nephew now serving in Iraq.

Eight years ago I voted in my first presidential campaign while living in Miami, Florida. My preferred presidential candidate lost but that was nothing compared to the humiliation and shame of watching one’s vote being caught into the nightmare of recalls, hanging chads, and possible disenfranchisement. Yet the right to vote is something which has bee fought for (literally and figuratively) throughout the decades. It’s something to be taken advantage of and a cornerstone of a democratic society.

I mailed in my absentee ballot two weeks ago so I missed the long lines reportedly in precincts around the country. Nevertheless, there’s a great sense of personal pride in being able to exercise the right to vote and to have something of a voice in the political realm.

Image- AP (“Voters fill out their ballots for the general election in Dearborn, Mich. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya).”)
Sources- Los Angeles Times, CNN