True story: our neighbor cried in the voting booth this morning

[featherman]

Our neighbor, a 50-something rural white woman married to a Libertarian, hadn't voted since she voted for Nixon (1972?)and came to regret it.

"I thought" she'd told us a couple of years ago "that if I was that stupid about this stuff, I shouldn't vote at all. So I stopped. I'm just not political, I guess."

A couple of months ago, she called and asked if my wife could drive her to the County Clerk's office so she could register again.

She called again this morning and said she'd just come back from voting for Barack Obama.

She told us she had cried in the voting booth.

ps. The Libertarian husband voted Obama too.

[tularetom]

1. May the deity of her choice bless her

But I hope the tears didn't fuck up the voting machine.

[lizzieforkerry]

2. I cried, too. n/t

[liberal N proud]

Obama has re-enfranchised voters

Great story.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. More than a few took the promise and potential of this country for granted

and let others decide for us to our detriment and peril. I've been on the brink of tears just thinking about "the audacity of hope" and only wish my mother and uncles were with me to share.

[Avalux]

4. I did too . Stood there staring at Obama's name and pushed the vote button....

couldn't help but get teared up; had to compose myself.

[mrcheerful]

5. Not to be mean or nit pic but I'm 52 and I couldn't vote in 1968

I would have been 10 years old. Another factor is in 1968 you had to be 21 to vote. So she would have to be at least 61. But great story anyhow.

[featherman]

8. Thanks for the math... maybe it was 1972... she did say Nixon though

or maybe she's older than I think. Let's see... a 58 year old would have been born in 1950 and been 22 in 1972. That's probably it.

I'm 63, born in 1944, and could not vote in 1964, for example, but I was a campaign volunteer.

So I have a pretty bad losing record with my preferred candidate winning only in 1976, 1992, and 1996 and losing seven (ouch).

[FoyF]

16. I'm 54 and 1972 was my first election. nm

[bunny planet]

6. I was crying on line because my 18 year old daughter voted for the first time

today. When she went into that booth, my eyes started tearing up and were streaming down my face by the time it was my turn.

[1776Forever]

7. I have been crying all day - Tears of Joy! Blessings!

[Lumpsum]

9. I've been a registered libertarian for awhile, too.

But Obama turned me back to the Democrats.

[Laelth]

12. Welcome back.

:patriot:

-Laelth

[cjsmom44]

10. Fifty Somethings

My husband and I are both fifty somethings...and we remember the whole Nixon Watergate thing...We remember Vietnam...and many of us learned at an early age that our government is not to be trusted...many of us pulled away and felt helpless to change anything....
I also cried in the voting booth...for much the same reason....

[Anwen]

11. I cried, too.

What an emotional election it has been.

[Smuckies]

13. Amazing. n/t

[donco6]

14. That's sweet, thanks. n/t

[semillama]

15. The feeling that I just did something very profound when I voted

It was truly awesome - I felt that this vote was even more profound than the first time I ever voted, you know (for the record, my first vote was in 92, for Clinton)?

[ballabosh]

17. My wife did too

She was in tears when she left the polling place this morning.

[packerkid]

18. That's awesome.