A typical morning in our house:

Me - jumping out of the bed, checking to see when the next bus will come, scrambling around the house getting ready before the next bus, and then running out the door to catch said bus to work.

Ryan - feeding the dog, getting dressed, and getting the dog ready to go out for a walk. After the dog routine, taking the bus to work.

Today, we added turning in our ballots to the mix. When I texted Ryan a picture of the “I Voted!” sticker at my desk as a reminder to turn in his ballot, he responded almost immediately with his sticker and Fresca in the background.

Mission accomplished.

We don’t discuss politics often, but I think Ryan and I are on the same page when it comes to our view on civic engagement. We live in a place where casting a vote and making one’s voice heard has been made a whole lot easier than in many other places. While we don’t think the government can make everyone who is eligible vote, it should be the government’s responsibility to make the process as easy as possible.

This year, my company spent quite a few resources getting the word out on voting - encouraging online registration, hosting panel after panel of candidates and other officials, reminders all week long, giving time off for voting if necessary. Sadly and disappointingly, there were still colleagues of mine who chose not to vote. It’s hard for me to understand, but I suppose it’s like that saying where you can lead the horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. It does leave me to wonder what it would take for those few people to take the plunge. How bad would it have to get? What issues would move them to action?