November 2, 2010. Chevy Chase, Md. Voting.

It is a big deal to vote. Even though you do it often, the act of voting is an impressive event. Today is election day in the country, so today I voted, even though Maryland is a Democratic state so my vote is usually for the loser. Everything is so well organized. The machines work, the voting is electronic, volunteers are available to work the polls and everyone seems to be cheery and helpful. The whole system is impressive to me.

Then tonight we all watch the results all evening, except when the commercials are on TV and we switch to the hockey game. Everyone at work had voted too and wore their sticker 'I voted" on their shirt.

But the most impressive aspect of the vote is that the power is transferred peacefully and the losing politician goes home while the new person takes over the office. No pushing, no shoving, no kidnapping, no violence. The winning person just takes over. It is an event to be cherished. Today I was pleased to be a small part of the whole process.