Lost in transit

The Vote Heard 'Round The World

Here in Australia, my housemate and I were following the US elections like a sporting event, checking the websites every hour and texting updates to each other with the newest scores.

The Dems needed only six seats in the Senate. Then three seats. Then down to the last two. Then the projections for Virginia. And if you yell "The Dems win the Senate!" four times, it sounds just like "The Giants win the Pennant!"

It was an odd feeling, following these elections back in a country I don't live in. But it's the only country I can vote in. Naturally, I sent in my absentee ballot, although voting a straight Democratic ticket in New York City is hardly a radical act. And that's assuming it even got counted. My housemate had some irregularities with receiving her ballot, and then heard that in Michigan, there was some funny business going on with the overseas absentee ballots (non-military citizens abroad are perceived as being generally all left-voting, and so would be prime targets for any tricksters of a right-wing bent). She's contacted the local voting board to let them know.

But we both breathed a sigh of relief when we heard the good news. I still think the US is leagues behind most of its other first-world cousins in many ways, but there's no denying its preeminence in global politics. Here's hoping some of the ills of the last six years can finally start to be mitigated.

Posted by wildsoda at November 9, 2006 11:30 PM