Today is Election Day in the USA and I’m happy to say that we still were able to exercise our right to vote. Our “ballot booths” looked a bit different this year though:
We weren’t quite sure how voting would work – after all, we don’t actually have a US-based address anymore and we’re not in the military. Turns out there is a Federal Voting Assistance Program for both military personnel and other American citizens living abroad. It was easy to navigate the system online and request our ballots. We were able to vote just like any other Johnson County resident since that is where we last lived.
I have to admit that it was a bit scary filling out a confusing form declaring that “under penalty of perjury” that I was qualified to vote after I had just provided an address where I no longer live. It was also a bit unsettling to think that my vote went via fax machine with no confirmation of receipt.
Still, as I read about all the places where people aren’t allowed to vote or where elections are really just a sham, I realize just how lucky we are in the US that our system – despite all of its faults – works.
Happy Election Day!
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