Shout Out To W-1 P-7

We arrived early and only stood in line for fifteen minutes. The crowd was growing quickly and we were handed maps of our district and the school. The basement grew warm as we stood with others from our neighborhood, some wearing buttons and some holding their children.

I am glad we haven’t figured out how to hold a caucus securely and efficiently online. There is something simple and timeless about squishing into a room, checking a name and shoving it into a sandwich shop take-out box that says “ballots” with an arrow pointing to the slot.

Now that's Democracy.

The school felt chaotic as more people poured down the stairs and the volunteers collected maps to reuse. People of every age and race and neighborhood stood excited and ready. High school boys – men with a vote – chanted Obama’s name and little girls in purple snow boots were adorned with Hillary stickers. There was a homeless man with his bag and a member of my favorite local band.

We squeezed out into the fresh, crisp air just after seven to find the entire campus surrounded with a cue of eager citizens. There were still more looking for parking and vans dropping off their teenagers to make state history. My eyes welled up with tears watching neighbors mingle and their laughing breath fog up in the cold.

I’m honored to be a part of it all.