Election Reflection

It is accurate to say that I both hardly remember and will never forget the last 48 hours. Right now, I am most moved by how much everyone -- women, men, softies, and non-softies -- can't stop describing their election nights as filled with tears and tears of joy! My friends Zac and Margaret and I could not stop the tears as we watched President-elect Obama's speech on a big screen bar TV in Boston late on Tuesday night. Just looking at our beautiful First Family and listening to Obama's inspiring message was too much. I can be proud of being an American in this world again. But back to some highlights from NH... please excuse the long post...

* I spent about 24 hours in Rochester NH with friends Zac and Margaret. When we arrived at 8:30 PM on Monday, things were not well organized. The Obama headquarters had been under the direction of an 18 year old until then. Zac and Margaret have been the paid staff of campaigns in the past, so they were worried. I have volunteered for campaigns for years and have a certain love of efficiency and organization, so I was worried. We jumped in to help start organizing things for the throngs of volunteers expected the next day, but had to stop for sleep around midnight. This photo is from our hotel room shortly after midnight, when we realized it was now Election Day! The blurriness of this self-portrait reflected our state of mind, but our enthusiasm is undeniable.

* We woke around 6:00 AM to get working. Zac and I were assigned to be poll monitors at various locations throughout the day. We were there when the poll opened in the tiny town of Milton, NH, at 7 AM. I can't believe it, but we both teared up saying the Pledge of Allegiance with all the poll workers that morning! Our job was to sit behind the people who check off voters on the rolls, recording who was there to vote (that info got reported to a huge database called Houdini so targeted canvassing could take place later that day), and we watched for and reported irregularities.

* There was a amazing voter turnout, and a great sense of camaraderie among poll workers, us Democratic monitors, and the Republican monitors. At one point I reported to the volunteer lawyer at our poll that I overheard the workers say they "may not have time to record all absentee ballots," and felt that was an important thing to correct.

* At 5:30 on Tuesday, we went back to Rochester HQ and I was asked to prepare the Excel spreadsheet we would use to collect all the results and report them to the state leaders in Manchester. As the calls came in from our six wards, Obama and the other Democrats were ahead in every ward! Kerry had won Rochester by only 14 votes in 2004 -- Obama won by over 1000! We were jumping for joy! We left around 9:00 to drive back to Boston. Other favorite memories...

* Some of the most dedicated volunteers in Rochester were Canadians who came down to volunteer for the whole week. Canadians for Obama!

* Seeing hundreds of people from all walks of life making the effort to come out and vote. They included a man who had recently had a stroke and had trouble walking and telling the poll worker his name, but he stood in line to vote. People who got off work, brought their kids, and taught them about voting. Black men (a real minority in Rochester NH) who had never voted waited in long lines for same day registration and voted. A woman who had a small seizure standing in line to vote, but she stayed long enough until she could fill out the ballot.

* A great volunteer who worked all day named Lee told us at the end of the night that she hadn't been motivated to work on a campaign since Adlai Stevenson ran in '56. Her enthusiasm represents why Obama could win this election. He represents change people believe in. He represents hope for a better future. Now, he represents us.