QUESTION OF THE DAY: DID YOU VOTE?

My ticket to free Starbucks, Krispy Kreme or Ben & Jerry’s in the form of the most patriotic sticker in the country can answer that one. Yes, I completed my civic duty and am thankful for the blessing of having a voice.

Happy to have my “I voted” sticker and pizza

I drove past my polling location on my way to work this morning and noticed a line out the door, planning to go back later. I didn’t have a chance to get away from my desk to vote during the day, but was hearing about long lines and expectations of record voter turnout. Waiting in line seemed inevitable and likely to take at least an hour. But I was determined to vote even if it meant camping out. Being prepared and planning ahead is second nature to me so of course the first thing I thought of was…food. I had to bring something to eat; it would be prime dinner time. For those who know me well, skipping or delaying a meal makes me less than favorable to be around. I decided to order a small pizza from a place by work to bring along.

Feeling ready to brave the wait with my hot pizza in hand, I pull up to the location only to find no line out the door and few cars in the parking lot. Pleasantly surprised, I leave my pizza in the car, fill out my ballot and am back home all within 20 minutes. But I swear if I didn’t bring food, my polling spot would have had a grueling three hour wait with only one open booth. Alas, I voted and came home to enjoy my lukewarm pizza while watching the election drama play out.

Similarly to millions of other Americans, I am sitting with my TV on but more notably with my laptop nearby working in overtime. Experts are calling 2008 “truly a historic election” for many reasons. One of these is the advent of using the Internet and social media throughout the entire process. Tonight I am following a few online resources that are fluid and ever-changing as the evening progresses. Twitter has an election page streaming hundreds of comments per minute from across the twitterverse (twitter universe) relating to the election.

Twitter election page

On facebook, users can declare that they voted and are added to the running tally. This page even makes it simple to find your polling location by entering your address.

YouTube and PBS are broadcasting voting experiences from across the country organized on an interactive map for the Video Your Vote campaign. One of the coolest things about this page is the “notable voters.” Watch video of John McCain, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, rapper T.I., Craig Newmark (founder of craigslist), and even a 99-year-old woman as they put in their votes.

There are countless other resources, blogs, wikis, social networks and beyond that are buzzing about the election tonight. After I post this, I will likely find others. This is definitely what can be called information overload. But it’s a great opportunity to engage in the conversation and more importantly engage youth in the conversation. I’m proud to say that I am a 20-something woman and today, I voted!

What was your experience like at the polls? How are you keeping up with the action tonight?