Monday, November 7, 2011

The Last Time I Voted: 2008


The last time I voted was the 2008 presidential election. I took my kids (see above), to set a good example. I was shocked, and kind of appalled that we had to pass a bake sale to get to the polling station in a New York City public school.

Of course, my kids insisted on getting a treat, and I thought in this time of an obesity crises they should have been selling smoothies, fresh fruit and maybe whole grain power bars.

But I wanted to vote, so I got the kids cupcakes.

I also wondered to myself if the bake sale was "fair" - wasn't the reminder that the public schools lacked funding and therefore needed to raise money via these bake sales, a subtle nudge in favor of the left?

My last memory of that day is a particularly boisterous campaigner encouraging us to vote for Obama, and my then four-year-old telling her very clearly, "I don't care what you say. I'm gonna vote for the girl."

No one had the heart to tell my young feminist that she wouldn't actually be casting a vote.

Kay - if you are reading this one day, you are not wearing a coat in this photo because you did not wear a coat any day that winter of 08-09. Even though your grandma bought you three.

9 comments:

Mary Johnson said...

I spent most of my Sunday making bake sale items for the PTA sponsored bake sale during the polling! And I thought this was a new thing because it was not at my kid's old school! Ha!

RandomHandprints said...

i think it's actually such a smart idea to hold a bake sale, why not reach all the people at election day!

kdwald said...

Voting in my town now is so calm compared to Brooklyn. And there was never any bake sale before - now: Oh yeah! Crazy fancy stuff.

Mary Johnson said...

My post today (if I ever get it up) is about what I made and how I was asked to do it and I am now including your post (if you don't mind) cause it never occurred to me how brilliant it is to point out how schools need funding by innocently selling a cookie :)

- Mary

Sent from my iPod

RandomHandprints said...

i would love to be included, thank you! looking forward to hearing your bake sale tale!

take2mommy said...

That's a really cute pic! As you know I brought my kids with me to vote in that election also. And into the little booth. Although I didn't need the privacy curtain since as I was casting my vote, Boo screamed as loud as he could, "YOU VOTED OBAMA!!!"

RandomHandprints said...

Too funny! Kids and privacy are definitely two things that just don't seem to ever go together.

RandomHandprints said...

i think it's such a great idea to hold an election day bake sale, but somehow it doesn't seem like it should be allowed. like the campaigners - no bake sales within 200 feet?

Jill said...

I believe that was the last time I voted too. Total nudge by the way

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