That this election has been unlike any other is a statement I think all parties can agree on. And it seemed only appropriate to spend my Election Day in a new way. So rather than try to ignore the world until Wednesday when I found out who would be my new Commander In Chief I went out to my precinct and participated with the populace who had waited until the last day to vote.

I sallied forth my faded earth-friendly notepad from my mom’s miscellaneous pile of paper products in hand, and I planted myself at the doors to the polling location. My mom passed out Constitutions that my dad had purchased out of pocket. Handing them to all the people as they went in. Those that chose the same doors to exit by, I asked about their election selection for president. The attitudes and answers were widely varied. I had a polite adorable old lady in a cute blue pants suit who had voted for Hillary Clinton. I had a rude dude who responded “Hillary, I’m not crazy!” to my question. There was an elderly white man too afraid to speak who he had voted for. Instead he pointed to his red shirt and when I asked him if that meant he’d voted Republican he sheepishly nodded as he hastened to his car. There was a middle-aged Cuban immigrant who was exuding more patriotism than most of the people going in, who proudly told me he had voted for “THE man!” As people went their way I came away with a new friend and a whole new Election Day experience.

My new friend caused me to miss over a half hour’s worth of people as we spazzed over all the fandoms we shared and swapped Snapchat and cell numbers. I saw people from my work, church, College Ministry, and Bible studies. It was very interesting to hear not just what people answered, but how they answered, or did not answer the question. A lot of people refused to answer, and I was more than understanding. The Constitutions my mother was passing out do grant them the right to be silent if they want to, and I for one was not going to press them into giving up that right. Some silent people I felt sure from their behaviour had voted red but presumed that a millennial like me would disapprove and so declined answering my inquiry. Some others I feel were ashamed to admit they had cast their ballot for a crook, and some were just rude or in a hurry.

The most interesting experiences were from the people from completely different demographics than myself who had voted the same way. There was the Cuban immigrant who I mentioned earlier with his exuberant defiance of the stereotypical precedent laid down for immigrants. He was so thrilled to be voting that it made him a joy to be around, at least for me. Earlier in the day there was the most gripping experience I had. An elderly lady of African-American descent answered my question in a way that made me want to hug her. I asked her for whom she had voted, and she looked straight up at me, directly into my eyes, and said “Mr. Trump”. She added, almost in tears, “I’m tired of being in bondage!” I couldn’t shake the chill her fervent words gave me for over a half hour. Not even after I walked to Chick-Fil-A and got my favourite sandwich (Deluxe Spicy Chicken if you must know). She had been in such earnest and had said the words with such weariness at her disenfranchisement by those who claimed to be on her side. I would have loved to have talked to her longer, to know when she found out that the Democrats, despite always pandering to the minorities, never have cared about anything except keeping them on the plantation. They have just moved that plantation from the rural agrarian fields of tobacco to the inner cities packed with crime and just enough handouts to keep them passive and believing the Republicans are bad guys. I will remember this election until I die, and I will likely remember that lady along with it.

I went home before an Election Party, and I had never felt quite tired and satisfied simultaneously. No, my precinct had not voted for Trump in majority, that was not the cause of my happiness. They were over half Clinton supporters when I looked at my tallies. I was happy because rather than stress-eating and ignoring the democratic process until it was all over, I went out and interacted with my fellow Americans as they participated in the process our founding fathers fought to establish.