Election Day in Freeville

Well, the day that many Americans have been waiting to get over with is here.  Yes, though election day is important, many of us are tired of seeing dollars that could be spent elsewhere wasted on political ads, sick of political rhetoric and the bashing of one political opponent by another.

Here in Freeville, quite a few people have expressed their own political views via yard signs.  The Romney signs appeared first, as I suppose the supporters of the challenger wanted their opinions to be known.  Tompkins County (my county) is an island of liberal fervor in an otherwise conservative area of upstate New York - largely due to the Ivy League influence of my employer, Cornell University, and its tendency to attract liberal-minded faculty and researchers.  I suppose the folks that hold strong conservative views around here feel outnumbered and like to have their voices heard.

Not long after, within a week or two, the first Obama signs began to spring up.  Supporters of the incumbent felt that their opinions should be known, letting people driving by on Main Street know that even though Ithaca proper tends toward liberalism and the rest of the county tends to be a bit more conservative, Freeville isn't simply a one-horse town.

There are a couple of other races of importance that we in Freeville will be voting on today.  One is for the House of Representatives, where the incumbent, Republican Tom Reed, faces a strong challenge from Democratic newcomer Nate Shinagawa.  The other is for town justice, where an independent candidate is hoping to unseat the incumbent.

By the time this post has been published, I will have walked down to the Fire Department and cast my votes.  I hope, if you're American, that you'll take the time to get out to the polls and do your public duty as well.  This is the one day that we all have a more or less equal say in our democratic republic....in theory, your vote and mine counts no more or less than Mitt Romney's or Barack Obama's.  And hopefully, this means that starting tomorrow, I can watch TV and be annoyed at Ford and eTrade and Geico -  rather than the people who are supposed to be running the country - for interrupting my favorite programs with bothersome advertising.