Just Around the Bend

It was something like inevitable that I would expend a day of vacation today. My mind could in no way have been cajoled into paying attention to work stuff (esp. after more or less full day yesterday of working through pretty loathsome "monthly progress reports" on my too-long list of projects). (Picture is supposed to be evocative of hope and opportunity just around that bend - sort of an earthbound - or reality-based - "Over the Rainbow" moment.)

The question was whether I would give in to my personal (introvert) preference of staying at home and monitoring things or yield to conscience that knew something more participatory was called for. Conscience won. I signed up for a couple hours of phone-calling for the AM, only to be instead asked to do GOTV/canvass door-to-door - and in Snohomish County to the north of us. Maybe more on that later. I wanted to get off a quick post here to share great election-day story and another post with suggestions as to how to watch the returns tonight.

You might wonder why I would link you up with a post/comment entitled "I Didn't Vote for Obama Today." Believe me, it's an inspirational tale as well as a good reminder not to read too much into a terse title:

I have a confession to make.

I did not vote for Barack Obama today.

I've openly supported Obama since March. But I didn't vote for him today.

I wanted to vote for Ronald Woods. He was my algebra teacher at Clark Junior High in East St. Louis, IL. He died 15 years ago when his truck skidded head-first into a utility pole. He spent many a day teaching us many things besides the Pythagorean Theorem. He taught us about Medgar Evers, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis and many other civil rights figures who get lost in the shadow cast by Martin Luther King, Jr.

But I didn't vote for Mr. Woods.

I wanted to vote for Willie Mae Cross. She owned and operated Crossroads Preparatory Academy for almost 30 years, educating and empowering thousands of kids before her death in 2003. I was her first student. She gave me my first job, teaching chess and math concepts to kids in grades K-4 in her summer program. She was always there for advice, cheer and consolation. Ms. Cross, in her own way, taught me more about walking in faith than anyone else I ever knew.

But I didn't vote for Ms. Cross.

I wanted to vote for Arthur Mells Jackson, Sr. and Jr. Jackson Senior was a Latin professor. He has a gifted school named for him in my hometown. Jackson Junior was the pre-eminent physician in my hometown for over 30 years. He has a heliport named for him at a hospital in my hometown. They were my great-grandfather and great-uncle, respectively.

But I didn't vote for Prof. Jackson or Dr. Jackson.

I wanted to vote for A.B. Palmer. She was a leading civil rights figure in Shreveport, Louisiana, where my mother grew up and where I still have dozens of family members. She was a strong-willed woman who earned the grudging respect of the town's leaders because she never, ever backed down from anyone and always gave better than she got. She lived to the ripe old age of 99, and has a community center named for her in Shreveport.

But I didn't vote for Mrs. Palmer.

I wanted to vote for these people, who did not live to see a day where a Black man would appear on their ballots on a crisp November morning.

In the end, though, I realized that I could not vote for them any more than I could vote for Obama himself.

So who did I vote for?

No one.

I didn't vote. Not for President, anyway.

-clip-

And if a little guidance might help you manage your inner demons tonight (i.e., guidance a little more to the point than my prior "turn off the tv," which I will be unable to enforce around here), you might give this a look:

Here's a guide to how to watch tonight's election returns.

Washington - Just a few hours now, and we'll know who will be the country's 44th president. To help you know the real score as it happens, here's a quick guide of what to watch for Tuesday night starting at 7 p.m. EST.

Keeping Score: The best way to keep score is to start with the 2004 result, when the Republicans won 286 electoral college votes and the Democrats won 252.

Then, any time McCain wins a state his party did not win in 2004, add the state's total electoral college votes to the 286 and subtract it from the Democrats' 252.

For example, if McCain wins Pennsylvania and its 21 votes, add that to his column for a running total of 307 and subtract it from the Obama column, for a running total of 231.

At the same time, any time Obama wins a state his party did not win last time, add that to the 252 and subtract it from the Republicans.

So, if Obama wins Virginia and its 13 votes, add it to Obama's starting base of 252 for a running total of 265, and reduce McCain's running total to 273.

States to Watch: Most states are solidly in one column or the other and can be ignored. New York will vote Democratic, for example. So watch the states that are close and might switch from the 2004 result.

The watch list, from East to West as polls are scheduled to close:

7 p.m. EST: Georgia, Indiana, and Virginia.
7:30 p.m. EST: Ohio, North Carolina.
8 p.m. EST: Florida, New Hampshire, Missouri, and Pennsylvania.
9 p.m. EST: Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico.
10 p.m. EST: Iowa, Nevada.
11 p.m. EST: North Dakota.

Lines to Watch: Many states could keep polls open late if people are still in line.

Tripwires: If Indiana is too close to call, it suggests problems for McCain. It's the most Republican of the early states Tuesday night, and he should win it comfortably if he's doing OK.

Exit Polls: Ignore them. If you stumble across one on the radio or the web, run away.

-clip-