Election Night

A major theme that I bring to the forefront in this blog centers on America and the blessed luck that myself and most of my readers enjoy in that we get to live in this great nation. This is definitely one of those days where there is no escaping how amazing this country is.

Today, millions of people flocked to voter booths to select representatives, approve/disapprove initiatives, and to engage in democracy at its finest. Americans went to these polls without pressure of life or death on who they voted for, without fear of bombs going off at the voting stations, and without dread of intimidators with weapons looking their way as they punched in the ballots. Although at times many of us feel like we are assaulted with too much negative campaigning, too many television ads, and too many signs/stickers polluting our landscapes, we need to realize that it is just part of democracy and the passion that comes from it.

Tonight we get to relax in our homes and watch live as results are announced. Of course, nothing is more suspenseful or more significant than the Presidential race. The technology and manpower that television networks devote to this night makes for great TV. The first Presidential election night I firmly remember watching was the Clinton vs. Dole race of 1996. As an eighth grader, I stayed glued to my TV during the unprecedented Bush vs. Gore battle of 2000, staying up to the wee hours of the morning before finally calling it a night. I watched the less suspenseful election of 2004 between Bush and Kerry and then I watched the historical election of 2008 between Obama and McCain, my first one in the state of Montana.

And here we are tonight.

In a few hours we will probably know whether President Barack Obama has earned another term in office or whether Governor Mitt Romney will become the next President of the United States. While I do have a candidate I would like to see win, I must admit that I am much more fascinated with the pomp and circumstance of the night. I love everything from the exit polls to the projections to the different paths to victory to the clinching of the 270 electoral votes to the victory speech to the concession speech.

I am an election night junkie. I enjoy flipping from channel to channel seeing how each station is covering the big night, seeing the different electoral counts that each network currently has. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little bit of a rush each time an anchor excitedly stated “We now have a projection to make.” I love the live check-ins from Chicago and Boston at the candidate’s headquarters. I enjoy watching the quarrels between the Democratic and Republican strategists that each station has on the set. What we are watching is history, and nothing beats that.

For everyone who is fed up with the election season I hear you, but just hold on throughout tonight. Only a few more hours of ads, one more night of ridiculous Facebook and Twitter posts, and one last onslaught of people with agendas knocking on your door. But no matter how irritated you are, I ask you this, please take a little bit of time to enjoy this historical evening. It only comes around once every four years and it is a definite distinguishing mark on what makes this nation the best in the world. Get a little wrapped up in what is occurring this November 6, 2012. In a peaceful and efficient manner, we are selecting our leaders and selecting the laws we want our areas of living to abide by. At the same time, we get to watch it all unfold right in front of us in our living rooms. Don’t let it pass you by. Don’t Blink.