Decision 2012: Election Day in the Sunshine State

There is a feeling of excitement here in Florida on Election Day. The presidential candidates made several visits to the Sunshine State in the last few weeks of the campaign. I remember when the presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore was hanging by a chad. Florida has improved its voting process since the 2000 presidential election.

My wife and I participated in early voting last Friday. We were presented with ballots and a black pen. Marking your ballot with a pen is much better than risking another hanging-chad election.

We voted at the local library in Mount Dora. Mount Dora is a small town in the heart of Florida. I noticed a lot of excitement in the eyes of the voters and voting officials. As a drove my child to school this morning, I was not surprised to see a long line of voters at a voting site.

Participating in the election is a family activity for the Markhams. My wife, Lorena, is serving as a poll worker today. Two of my daughters are having elections in their school classrooms. And my high school son is prepared for an intellectual discussion about the election in his high school social studies class. I often share with my college students the importance of voting. Here’s my Top 10 list of quotes about elections and voting.

10. The cheapest way to have your family tree traced is to run for public office. — Anonymous

9. If we could use the money political candidates spend on their campaigns, we could cure a lot of the ills they complain about. — Anonymous

8. We should hold elections every year because there never seem to be tax increases in an election year. — Anonymous

7. The guy who never votes is the first to tell you what’s wrong with the government. — Anonymous

6. The most dangerous vote in America is the vote that is not used. — Anonymous

5. Voters don’t decide issues, they decide who will decide issues. — George Will

4. The ballot is stronger than the bullet. — Abraham Lincoln

3. Act as if the whole election depended on your single vote. — John Wesley

2. I know nothing grander, better exercise, better digestion, more positive proof of the past, the triumphant result of faith in human kind, than a well-contested American national election. — Walt Whitman

1. To love America is our right and privilege. To make it better is the responsibility of us all. — Laraine Day

Reed Markham is a graduate of BYU and professor at Daytona State College.

Contact him at reed_markham@yahoo.com