Votin' Day

It is election day. Yes, this is the kind of stop-press, late-breaking news that makes logging on to The Inn all worth while, doesn't it. And, as predicted yesterday, I cast my ballot for The Divine Sarah and McWhatsisname.

We showed up ten minutes before the polls opened and the line was already out the door. In this heavily Democratic district that is not particularly good news. Republicans usually show up to vote. Democrats usually can't be bothered. When they do bestir themselves, they sweep the boards.

And I was sorry to see they don't ring the bell any more. Hundreds of years ago when I first registered to vote (two terms for President Washington!), one of the workers had to go outside and ring a handbell and shout out "O yez, O yez, O yez, the polls are now open!" They had the same routine at night, only shouting that the polls were now closed. It was a bit of fun to watch. You had two types of people doing it. The ones who really threw themselves into it and the ones who were embarrassed to death and could hardly be heard.

As traditions go, I suppose it wasn't all that glorious. But I'm still sorry to find it gone.