I was at a lunch playdate with a friend the other day and her daughter was all excited about going to vote on November 4th. My friend started quizzing Little J about his enthusiasm (or lack there of) for the upcoming election.
Little J seemed relatively unimpressed with the whole process and was not treating it like the once in a lifetime opportunity that my friend’s daughter was. I could tell my friend was a little taken aback and her comments implied that I was somehow slacking by not talking up this important election.
As we continued the conversation, she continued to quiz Little J on why he wasn’t more excited about going to vote.
“We always go vote,” he replied casually.
“No!” insisted his little friend, “This is the first election in FOUR YEARS!”
Little J looked at her with impatience. “We JUST went to vote last month in the ‘limary’,” he informed her. “And lots of times before that.”
It was then that I realized why Little J was so nonchalant about the whole election thing. He has gone with me every time I have voted, which is a lot. I vote in town and county elections, on referendums, as well as the primary and every other time I have the chance to voice my opinion.
To him, this is not a “once every four years” occurrence. It is a regular part of being an active citizen. Obviously we will have a conversation about how this election is different than the others he has attended, but I think he is learning more from seeing me vote whenever I have the chance than from anything I could ever say to him.
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