The most vital thing about today is tomorrow. Whatever happens today, what we do tomorrow, the fifth of November, is what matters most. The hardest work of democracy happens in between presidential elections.

 

Clearly, we failed to do heavy lifting since 2004 because our democratic institutions are not equipped to handle 70 or 80 percent of registered voters showing up.

 

Inside Grace Lutheran Church, more than half the voting booths were empty. Why?

 

Because even though the registrar had prepared with extra machines, they had only two women checking in voters who lived on streets A through L, and two more checking in voters who lived on streets M through Z.

 

In Asylum Hill, most streets begin with letters A through L (Ashley, Collins Imlay, Farmington, Forest, Gillete, Laurel). The streets M through Z are less populated. So this would have taken Shirley Surgeon's office in City Hall the foresight to realize the differential.

 

So the whole 90 minutes we stood in line, less than half the voting carrells were being used. It didn't quite make sense. I am sure that these problems occur all over the country in some form or fashion.

 

The new ballots proved confusing for some. I for one love the idea of paper ballots. I even took a picture of mine!

 

One voter spoke no English, and my bet was that he couldn't read either. Mike McGarry, who was handing out ballots, asked me to help him because I speak some Spanish. The man only wanted to know where to blacken the oval for Obama.

 

I didn't want to know who he voted for, I just wanted to insure that he understood how to fill out the card. But he didn't care. He wanted to vote Obama, and his voter intent is reflective of millions today.

 

Obama is a lucky man. He is the right man at the right moment in time, and we better hold him accountable for the dreams we want to see realized.

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