The Adventures at My Polling Place

Yesterday's election and last night's caucus was a fun, difficult and interesting window into America, and into where Texans are, at this place and time. I was the alternate judge and I conducted the caucus (!) at the Welfare Schoolhouse outside of Boerne. As you can see, it's a picturesque, sleepy-looking slice of Americana, complete with wood stove for heat, which we definitely needed, and which I kept stoked 'til long after lunch.

My precinct was drawn by drunkards or ridiculously creative people, because Luster Culver, the woman who refurbished this great little place lives 2-3 miles from here, but has to drive into Boerne to vote, while residents of Turkey Knob Road have to drive about 35 miles here to vote. The district looks like an image from a Salvador Dali painting.

Anyway, the 115 people who voted at my polling station yesterday were committed and passionate to their choices. This is probably my 3rd primary to work, and I don't think we've gotten more than 50 people before, and one primary only drew about half that. This is a large, but very rural district.

The caucus drew 40 people, which means we were close to packed in that little one-room schoolhouse. Half the caucus-goers had to stand, as the antique wooden desks couldn't seat them all. Barack Obama was the clear winner, with 24 of those 40 votes.

Probably the memories of the day that I'll retain will be topped by the looks on peoples' faces as they came in to vote, and as they made their wishes known in the caucus. The 50-something horse-trainer with strong European connections who said all her friends there are wanting Obama to be elected...the Schreiner College history major and Clinton supported who talked at length about historical perspective and understanding how the choices we make translate into real effects in our lives.

It was great to be an American yesterday, and I was proud to be a Democrat. And now we move on, ready to back whichever history-making candidate is able to survive this marathon run that will end at the White House next January.