So, I went to vote  last Thursday and got there 35 minutes before the polling opened. I decided to hang out and wait because I figured I would end up waiting in line anyway.  (Good decision-- about 100 people showed up after me).  As each of the yellow-vested voting administration staff filed in, they took the time to say good morning to the people waiting in line. i guess when you are voting, it is indeed a very good day. In any event,  I thought it was cool that the staff was so friendly.

In front of me was  a kid who had come with his mom. He was holding his drivers license and I noticed that it had a vertical format, not a horizontal format, a quick visual clue here in Colorado that identifies you as under 21.  I asked him if it was his first time voting and he said yes and that he was so excited. Next to me was a 75-ish year old black man wearing a frayed baseball cap and muddy grass-stained tennis shoes.  He reminded me of a friend of mine--weathered and warm-hearted.

When the doors opened we  filed in one at a time. The kid in front of me walked up to the desk and handed the woman his driver's license. She looked at it, looked up, and asked, "First-time voter?" "Yes,"  he said.  She called out at the top of her voice, "First-Time Voter here!" and all the staff and the 100 people in line broke out in a cheer.

I choked back a sappy tear and stepped up to the table, I handed the woman my driver's license and said, "That was nice,"  to which she replied, "We do it for all first time voters."  

The  old man stepped up to the clerk and handed her his driver's license. She looked at it, and looked at him and said, "First-Time voter?"  "Yes, ma'am," he replied, with his head held high.

The crowd went wild.

This is what this election is about.