Fool that I am, I thought I’d beat the crowd to the polls this morning. I showed up at the Tuckahoe precinct voting station in Henrico County around 6 a.m. only to be greeted by a long line snaking out of the building and into the parking lot. I guess a few other people were thinking the same way. Fortunately, the voting proceeded fairly quickly, thanks to the addition of extra voting machines and voting officials. I was out of there 50 minutes later.
Tuckahoe is an affluent, overwhelmingly white precinct. It tilts Republican, but there are plenty of Democrats here. Everyone was exceedingly courteous and well behaved — not like those uncivilized heathen south of the James! (Read Peter’s previous post for accounts of rudeness and incivility in Chesterfield. Note to Peter: You really should move to Henrico. You’d feel less estranged here.)
I am quite certain that I will be less than thrilled by the electoral outcome today. But it feels good to be an American. It’s reassuring to see my fellow citizens muster so much interest in a national election. Apathy is no longer in vogue. People are re-engaged. And that’s a good thing.
