Election Day

I've been schooling Mark in political science since day one. The TV and print media serve as our class textbooks, but we've gone on some pretty awesome field trips, too (like to Barack Obama's first inauguration).

I'm not trying to indoctrinate him or anything; I'm just fascinated by politics, so I spend a lot of time watching and reading about them. I never figured he'd be interested enough to stick around and listen.

But poor Mark's been forced to watch a whole lotta presidential election coverage over the past few months. OK, maybe forced is not the right word--encouraged, maybe? Or just plain ol' allowed, perhaps, because honestly, he was only watching because the TV was on. (Kid can't pass by a TV without sitting down to watch. Doesn't even matter what's on, he'll watch it. It's like he's hypnotized...)

I always take him with me to vote, including to this year's primary elections.

"Are you gonna vote for Romney or Obama?" he asked, in a not-so-hushed voice.

I explained that I could only vote for the candidates in my party. Mark was stymied, then angry, and yelled, "Rip off!"

"So you can't vote for anybody else?" he asked. "What if the Republican guy is better?"

"It's only during the primaries," I assured him. "During the election, you can vote for whoever you want. But right now, we're voting for a presidential candidate--who I want my party to run."

Mark still didn't like it one bit--he doesn't like anyone limiting his choices, even for president. I'm not surprised--this is a kid who immediately touches freshly-painted walls to see if the "Wet paint" sign is lying.

He grumbled a bit when I watched the national news during the following months, but mostly because I always started arguing with the TV, which meant he couldn't hear the program. But he was genuinely interested in watching the Republican convention, so I did my best to shut up. (I did not succeed. Oh, and disclaimer, in case it matters--I'm not a Republican. I just like to stay informed, and hear both sides of the debate. Oh, and disclaimer two--if Mark does grow up to be a Democrat, he'll be the first Dinsdale man to do so.)

Mark watched the Democratic National Convention, all three days of it, for as long as he could stand. ("Too much talking," he said. "Not enough action.") I agreed, although I found the talking inspirational.

He watched the highlights of the debates. He was flabbergasted by the threats to Big Bird, and confused about the binders full of women. But mostly he wanted to know why the candidates were yelling so much, and why no one ever really listened to each other.

"They ask a question," he observed, "but no one listens to the answers."

He listened to it all, for as long as he could, which was longer than I'd expect for a 12-year-old. He didn't seem terribly interested (not like he is with the Dodgers!), but he listened.

And then, finally, it all came down to Tuesday, to the Big Day. I walked into the house, and he immediately turned off the TV, guilt all over his face.

"I was watching the news," he admitted. I just smiled.

I brought him with me to vote again. He didn't want to mark the ballot, he just wanted the sticker.

But as soon as we got home, he asked, "Can we the election results? Pleeeeaaaase???" I smiled again and nodded.

I knew he'd taken it all in during the past few months, but boy, it was like Super Bowl Sunday at our house--Mark was into it! At one point, I went into the kitchen, and he was calling out the states and electoral college votes to me.

"Romney won Indiana and Kentucky!" he called out nervously. "They're red!"

Or, "Fifty-three percent counted in Florida--it's 48% to 49%!" he yelled. He was cracking me up.

Mark also brought up the primaries, and why he couldn't vote for who he wanted. I patiently explained again, but he didn't want an explanation, he wanted change.

"Well, if it bothers you that much, register as an independent," I told him. "Then you can pick whoever you want."

That perked him up. He liked having a choice again.

"I just want to vote for the best candidate," he explained. "What if I vote for a Republican? Will you be mad?"

"Not at all," I told him (even though, truthfully, it would break my heart!). "You're entitled to your opinion, and to believe in whatever you want to. The only thing that would make me mad is if you didn't vote at all." 

For a couple hours there, it was too close to call, as the candidates passed the lead back and forth. Mark sat in front of the TV with my laptop, calling out the headlines.

When it got to be too much, we took a short break and watched a different show. We went back to the news, not really expecting much, but the minute we turned it back, the news anchors were chattering excitedly. Suddenly, they projected Obama the winner. It happened so quickly, I didn't quite understand at first. I changed the channel, then glanced at Facebook, and sure enough, we had a new/old president.

The neighbors started cheering, and we joined in. I jumped up to do a happy dance, but Mark just stared at me funny, like he's never seen me silly happy before. (He has. A lot.) It was a fun, joyous moment.

"Can I stay up to watch the President speak?" Mark begged. It was already past his bedtime, but it was a special occasion, so I nodded.

"But he won't speak until after Romney," I explained. "Romney's got to concede first, then the President will speak."

I said that not knowing it would take Romney another hour and a half to get out there. Mark was so tired he could barely keep his head up. I told him to go to bed and I'd tape it, but he wanted to watch live. He stayed up long enough to watch Mitt Romney concede, and then watch the President take the stage. But five minutes into his speech, Mark also conceded and said, "I'm too tired--I'm going to bed."

Moments later, he was asleep. But happy.

I could relate--I was also sleepy, and very happy. About the election results, sure, but even more than that, I was happy at this sweet, concerned little citizen, and how excited he really was for the election. It was awesome to watch.

And it will be awesome to watch going forward. Because in the end, I really don't care how he votes, or if his views really do differ from mine. I just want him to be passionate, concerned, and to care for the greater good of the nation. I want him to use his voice, and to be respectful of all the other voices, too.

I want him to embrace democracy, and to realize how lucky we are to have it. After Tuesday, I can see that he does. He understands; he gets it.

And of course, being Mark, he's already looking forward to changing it...starting with the primaries.