Excitement in North Minneapolis as residents vote.

by Nelima

Voter anticipation must have been very high in North Minneapolis. By 7 am there was a line of over 100 people stretching out the door and down the ramp of North Point Health and Wellness Center. Everyone was happy and energetic; people cheered and clapped everyone who cast their ballot, one guy even broke out into a James Brown dance after voting. “This is like a family reunion, I’ve met people here that I hadn’t seen in a very long time” said Frank McCrary, a special ed. teacher at Transition Plus, who had been in line since 6:45am. He was accompanied by his mom, dad and two younger brothers and none of them were bothered to have stood in line for over two hours to cast their votes. “I’ve voted here ever since I graduated from high school and have never seen this kind of turn out, this is amazing!” he exclaimed. “My candidate is going to win, we in there,” he said “ An Obama presidency would mean a lot for the black people and for everyone being that he is about the grassroots, let’s bring this thing back to the people” he concluded. By 11:30am the line had somewhat shortened and an estimated 400 people had already voted.

Share Your Election Stories.

 

 

Photo sent by Small Axe who was in line very early this morning

 

The most highly anticipated day after 2 years of rigorous campaigning. Did you vote today? What was the election experience like for you? What will you miss and what won’t you miss about the whole process? Are you optimistic about your candidate? If you have voted back home how did this experience compare? What’s next? Please share, please share

 

Courtesy of Richard Amegee who voted at 9am

 

Ato blows a kiss to all the voters

Last Minute Voting Tips for Minnesotans.

by Nelima

Tomorrow’s the E-day and many of you are nervous and anxious. Here are a couple of pointers that may be helpful (for voters and non-voters alike).

 

1. MN voting locations are open from 7 am to 8 pm. Get to your polling station by 8pm to cast your vote.
2. Make sure you are registered, if not you will have to register at the polling place. Make sure you have a valid ID.
3. Find out where your polling location is at the  MN election center.
4. If for some reason you cannot vote tommorrow, you have until 5pm today to cast an absentee ballot.
5. MN is the highest voting state in the nation and this year there is an 80% voter turnout expected here’s an interesting video to watch about Voting in MN: What you can expect .
6. Also be mindful of your attire. You can’t wear a shirt, hat or button supporting a candidate, issue or even an idea when you go to vote. It’s called electioneering and it’s the equivalent of carrying a yard sign into the poll. You will be asked to leave and change.
7. Non-voters spread the word around and be supportive of your voter friends.
8. So Basically Be Prepared, Be Patient, Vote, Relax and Be Happy

Politics at the Playground?

by Nelima

Dr. Grace Yoo amused me today when she talked about how her kids were having a fight in the back of the car over who gets to be Obama. “I don’t even know why you are arguing over politicians when you can’t even vote,” she said. “We can vote at nick.com” said her son. From Oct 12th – 20th a record breaking 2.2 million kids got to vote for president in Nickelodeon’s  2008 Kids pick the President ‘kids’ vote. Senator Obama received 51% of the vote (1,167,087), and Senator McCain received 49% (1,129,945). While the vote is not a scientific poll, it should be noted that the kids have correctly predicted the president in four of the last five U.S. elections.

Voting for Non-Citizens

This is a GREAT article by Ibe Kaba. I couldn’t have said it better.

This year I am going to vote, regardless whether or not I am a US citizen.

Whether you have a green card, here on a visa, or here “illegally”, you can too. And you should. For the sake of disclosure, I must inform you it is illegal for non-citizens to vote. You could be deported for impersonating a citizen. But 9-oct-08this election. And that is not even because of the candidates. Yes, there is history on both sides. Come November 5 th, America would have elected its first Black president, or first female vice-president. That is beside the point. America is at a crossroads; this election is about going left or right (no pun intended). The economy is on the line, healthcare is on the line, social security is on life support, there is the war in Iraq, the one in the inner cities; and yes, when it comes to education, your child’s name must be “no child” because he/she is being left behind.

Continue reading here.