My Primary Tuesday: Ashley

I had a very eventful last Tuesday mainly because I was able to finally exercise my right to vote and wow did it feel good.

My voting experience was very simple on the actual day:

step 1: drive to polling place

step 2: check in and get ballot

step 3: mark ballot at correct table (CA has closed primaries so Republicans can only vote for Republicans and vice versa)

step 4: cast my vote and receive an "I Voted" sticker

step 5: walk out of the polling place proclaiming, "it was my first time" to the world with a giddy laugh and a smirk

A thing I found very funny about my particular voting experience was the amount of Republicans my district is lacking. Maybe it was just the time I went, but there weren't any Republicans voting when I was there. I walked in and there was a line for the Democratic tables and I just strolled over to the many open Republican tables and marked my ballot. I told this to Anya and she proudly pronounced (ohhhh...alliteration), "Sweetie, it's California, what did you expect?"

Although it seemed easy the day I went to cast my vote, there was some preparation for it. I had to register to vote which I did online. Once you do this, before an election it's smart to check to see if you really are registered. Sometimes they have problems with your registration and you just call them to clear it up. You should also receive a book in the mail with all the candidates running and on the back it has your polling place on it as well. It is wise to mark your book before you go to vote and then you can take some time and research the candidates, the measures, etc. so you make an informed decision (that's what I tried to do).

I know I may seem like the voting police or something, but if you are able to vote I really encourage you to. Voting ensures we have a government that follows America's ideals. It is a fundamental process to keep up democracy. We are so lucky and privileged we can vote for people and have influence over who's in power. So use your power and go register!