However you do it, just vote

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Today I did something I've never done before: I voted early -- meaning, before Election Day, Nov. 4, when most voters will go to the polls.And I don't mind telling you, I felt pretty darn special.Technically, I voted early in 2004, when I was holed up on a lake in South Carolina, and couldn't get back to California in time to vote. But that was an absentee mail-in ballot, and I swore I'd never do it again.Vote absentee, that is, not hole up on a lake.When you have voted in as many elections as I have (for the record, 1972 was both my first year to vote and to give birth, though not all at once), it doesn't feel quite the same to simply drop a ballot in the mail.In voting absentee, I missed the whole experience of going to the polls, standing in line with folks who were neighbors and friends, waiting for a turn to step in a booth, pull a curtain and cast my vote.It might not have seemed nearly so Norman Rockwellian, had I been waiting in rain or freezing temperatures -- or if the line had been several hours long, as it may prove to be in this election, given record-setting voter registrations.I wasn't really worried about the weather. Two years ago, we moved to Las Vegas of all places, where the forecast is typically "abundant sunshine," and by November, temperatures run considerably cooler than the usual "hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell."But the thought of waiting in line for hours made me rethink my oath against voting early -- especially after I learned that Nevada (like many states, maybe even yours) allows early voting not only by absentee ballot, but also in person.So this morning, I decided to go vote. First, I got dressed up a bit in honor of my grandmother. Like other women of her generation, who were denied the right to vote until 1920, she took voting seriously and dressed for the occasion in hat and gloves and heels.For me, of course, dressing up only meant that I didn't wear sweats, but I'm sure she would have felt honored nonetheless.Then I filled out my sample ballot, drove to my polling place and got in line behind about six other voters while waiting for one of a dozen or so machines to become available.I didn't know anybody, or at least not well enough to ask about their mother (a ritual where I grew up). But it was all very cordial, a lot of grinning and nodding, as if to say, "Look at us; aren't we doing our part?"After moving up a spot, I turned around to face an elderly man who was leaning heavily on a walker, making his way to get in line just behind me.When he stopped, he tottered a bit, trying to find his balance. His legs shook, threatening to buckle, but his eyes, meeting mine, were steady and clear.He smiled and I smiled back.For a moment, I hesitated to speak my mind, but as usual, it got the best of me."If you'd like to sit down," I said, motioning toward a nearby sofa, "I'll be glad to save your place in line."He chuckled and thanked me."I'm not sitting down," he said, shaking his head. "I'm standing up until this is over."We were lucky, he and I. The wait was barely 10 minutes. Had it been hours, I bet he'd have kept standing. Maybe I could've shared his walker.We are all bone-tired of this election. But don't sit down yet. Vote early, if possible. Take along something or someone to lean on, if need be. Stand up and be counted, until it is over.Vote, because you can.(Sharon Randall can be contacted at P.O. Box 777394, Henderson NV 89077 or at www.sharonrandall.com.)