Ah, voting season—while not exactly a set time for everyone in the United States, elections are a force that have many excited and moving. Following campaign trails and attending rallies, concerned citizens flock to hear what their fellow humans will do to make the country a better place once they've elected a president. When I was in a government class in the 12th grade, my teacher asked how many of us would go out and vote. Thirty hands went up. The teacher shook his head and replied that only half of the hands up would actually go out to vote. I am very happy to say that I am a part of that half. And these are all the stages that I went through my first election, and probably for the rest of the time I will vote.
1. Registration
This is the time when you are walking around campus and you notice a huge sign with the words "Register to Vote here!" Maybe it is not like that for everyone, as in everyone is much more prepared than I am. However, many of the people that I know registered to vote in this way. And when I saw that sign, I jumped at the chance. Register me up!
2. Anticipation
This is the time between signing up and waiting for your name to either show up as being a official voter or getting a letter in the mail confirming that news. Believe it or not, refreshing the page will not make the process go any faster. The excitement is real.
3. The "Watch Every News Station" Phase
There are two ways that people react in this phase. Both types will make sure to get as educated as possible—watching every media outlet, following the trails and narrowing down their favorite candidate. Some people will make it a show. They will be sure to share and like articles of their favorite candidate, complete with hashtags and emojis. These people will make it very well known who they are voting for and will constantly debate with other over politics on public forums. They will go to every rally and support the candidate with buttons and T-shirts and hats, all the works. The other type of people will also be sure to follow the action but will be much more secretive. Not a peep will be heard from their social media or in person because they "don't do politics." but they have already made their selection on who to vote for—a long time ago.
4. Actually going to vote.
This is the point that you have been preparing for. All the weeks of watching the news (which you really never do) and following the candidate on social media has all led up to this moment. You know exactly who to vote for, and you are ready to make this decision. Not only that, put you feel super responsible and much cooler than you normally do. Go ahead and make a decision about your future, you've earned this.
5. Exhilaration
Congratulations! You have done the act which people centuries before you have fought to win. I think it's like this for everyone who votes for the first time, there is a sense of freedom, of purpose, of doing the right thing. People at the voting site were expressing their congratulations, but it was even more exciting when I texted my friends and they all replied back with their own stories of voting. It was a great feeling being a responsible citizen of the county in which I lived and even better knowing that I had friends who also made it a point to have their voice heard.
