An Open Letter to the Dude Who Decided Not to Get in Line to Vote

Hey guy I don't know, 

How are you? How's your day going? You seemed a little lost on Friday when I saw you while I was waiting in line to vote early at the county government center. No, this isn't some weird "missed connections" post; I noticed you seemed overwhelmed and thought you might need a little help. That's all. The line was a lot. I waited three hours to vote, between waiting in line and the time it took to actually cast my vote. If I factor in the drive time, it really took me five hours to vote. I know, that's a lot, but I'd wait longer to vote if I had to. That's how important voting is. 

You kept walking back and forth rather than getting in line. You stopped to talk to the security guard about the wait. Her time estimate was spot on, and you seemed, when talking to her, ready to commit to getting in line. Then you walked back to your car. And then back to the line again. In the time you spent walking around, you could have been halfway to voting. 

Are you really going to come back or vote at a satellite office when they open or vote on Election Day? Maybe you live closer to the government center than I do or have more flexible time, but why didn't you just take the plunge and exercise your right to vote right then and there? You need to let your voice be heard, and you were so close. 

I know three hours is a long time to wait. You could have watched at least one MCU movie while waiting (I'd recommend The Avengers, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Captain Marvel). You could have caught up on the news or started that book you've been saying you're going to read, but it's just been sitting in a pile next to your bed. Or you could chat with the your fellow county residents; I met three very nice people while waiting in line. We discussed voting trends and the weather (as one does). Or you could have just stood there and reveled in the fact that you're doing your part to protect democracy. 

You may be asking yourself: Why is the line so long? Why is it taking so long to vote? A lot goes into running a safe and fair election. Some people may make it seem like elections are the easiest thing in the world to manage, but I can tell you that is a lie. With early voting, voters from all over the county (or whatever municipality) are coming together in one location. Election officers have to take extra steps to ensure each voter gets the right ballot for their precinct. I was an easy voter with my standard ballot, but other parts of the county have some additional items to vote on, so it takes a little longer to make sure the ballot and the voter match. You might want to take some time to check online for a sample ballot if you're wondering what else you're voting on this election. 

Also, they're trying to process thousands more people than normal for early voting. They're doing their best to adjust to these record numbers, opening more conference room space and using as many election officers as they can. When satellite offices open in mid-October, it'll ease up and wait times should reduce. They're doing their best to manage yet another unprecedented event of 2020. Election officers have a hard job. They have to ensure so many details are processed to make sure your vote counts. That takes time. 

I hope you'll be back to vote early or maybe you decided to vote on November 3 instead. Either way, now that you know what's up, take some time to make a voting plan. Give yourself time. Pack a snack and some water. Bring a book. Be nice to your election officers. 

I hope you vote. 

Have a super day, 

The lady in the dinosaur cardigan doing her part to save democracy

Reminder: Show your good citizenry! Check out my last post for the details of my Be a Good Citizen project. Use this link to complete a short questionnaire on your good citizen-ing. I'm like the Oprah of rewarding good citizenship: "You get a piece of original art! And you get a piece of original art!"

The Be a Good Citizen Project

I started writing this blog back in 2011 when I lived in California. I moved there for my job, and didn't really know many people, so it was part way to keep in touch with my friends and family, part way to feel less overwhelmed by living in a new place. I enjoyed living in the Bay Area, specifically in Alameda, but it was also like being dropped onto an alien planet. The Island of Misfit Toys became a place for me to work things out, and vent when needed. In the nine years I've been writing this blog, I've shared personal things, written funny stories about homicidal Peeps, and created very interesting lives for both of my cats. I know my more recent posts have been way angrier than what I normally write. I wanted to spend the summer sharing my novel (a few chapters at a time, like how books used to be published), but 2020 had other plans for everyone. Recently, I've felt like I was spinning in an angry writing place, so I took the last few weeks off from the blog. I've been thinking about stuff and things. I've been thinking about the mess we're in (insert PJ Harvey song here). I've been thinking about how to stay connected in this weird world we live in. So I hatched this little idea I'm sharing with you today. 

Back in July, a Japanese theme park announced its reopening. (Do you hear that, America? That's the sound of countries reopening and having real national leadership.) In "normal times," the reopening of a Japanese theme park wouldn't be a big deal, but this is 2020. Nothing makes sense anymore, and everything is a big deal. The reopening was significant for a very specific reason: in a video promoting the reopening, visitors were asked to "Please scream inside your heart" rather than screaming out loud as they rode roller coasters. This was a safety measure, of course, but it's also the most perfect thing anyone has said since March. 

I don't know about you, but I think "Please scream inside your heart" is the perfect way to describe 2020. The day I read the article about the theme park, I embroidered myself a version of the saying. I love it so much, I've now made a total of five original patterns depicting the idea of screaming inside your heart. I can't help myself. Each of the patterns were designed for one of my friends (or myself), so they're named after them too:

• Erin - The Original Scream (first image)
• Jessica - French Knot Scream (third image)
• Heather - Screaming Balloons (second image)
• Bridget - Tiny Hearts
• Kelly - The Roller Coaster

People love these pieces. I chalk it up to a combination of my whimsical awesomeness and the accuracy of the statement. This got me thinking: how can I use these gems to make the world, or at least my part of it, a little bit better?

And then someone posted a meme on Facebook about giving adults prizes to do things like wear a mask, you know, like when we used to get pizza for doing our summer reading. It hit me: I can reward people for being good citizens, but instead of pizza, they get a piece of art. Genius!

I decided to make 10 of each of the first three patterns (Erin, Jessica, and Heather) for a total of 30 original pieces. Each one is hand drawn and hand embroidered. It will be framed (in a hoop like the first image above), numbered, and signed. Lucky recipients will also receive a hand stitched good citizen card (see below - glitter paper!). It's going to to be awesome. As of this writing, I've stitched 13.

So, how do you become the proud owner of one of these amazing works of art? 

EASY - by showing me how you're being a good citizen. 

I know the vast majority of you are out there doing your best to make the world suck less, and you do it with no thought or expectation that you deserve accolades for being a good citizen/human. You're doing the right thing. You're making your community a cool place to live. You're helping people who need it. You're already a good citizen. You deserve a gold star, or a piece of random art from a person you may not know. Same thing. 

I want to see good citizening in one of the following categories (all activities have to have been completed in 2020):

1. Volunteer - maybe you made masks or donated food or helped someone with their resume or something related to a job search. How have you been volunteering your time/skills/awesomeness?
2. Let's vote! Did you register to vote for the first time? Awesome - tell me about it and why you decided to register. Already registered? What's your voting plan? Having a voting plan is so important this year.
3. Getting out in the streets...or engaging with your elected officials - Have you protested or participated in a march? Or maybe you've been texting/emailing/sending letters to your elected officials. How have you been showing up for social change? 
4. Wear your mask - I wanted to make sure one option was so easy, anyone could do it. Take a photo of yourself out in public, wearing your mask, and practicing excellent social distancing. (See logistics/disclaimers for a note about this option.)
5. Donate. If you can donate, show a receipt of a donation made to one of the following organizations made in 2020 (yes, I'm gating this one a little bit, but it's my project so I get to make the rules):

• The Trevor Project
• World Central Kitchen
• Feeding America
• Campaign Zero
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Complete this amazingly easy Google Form to tell me your story. You'll be one of eleven people who own one of these pieces of art. You get something cool for being a good citizen. How much fun is that?!

A few more logistics/disclaimers:

• If I receive over 30 entries, I'll hold the entries over that number for a second campaign. I'll let those people know what to expect.
• Embroidery pieces will start shipping in October. If you live near me, and are cool with it, I can deliver your piece to you (following social distancing best practices). 
• If you are one of my friends for whom a pattern is named, you're not eligible to get another one. 
• You don't get to pick which pattern you get. I'm going to use a very scientific method involving my cat, Keely, deciding which person gets which pattern. He's really good at this sort of thing. 
• You have to live in the US. Sorry friends around the world, I didn't budget for international shipping. Maybe another time. 
• Only three people will get picked for wearing a mask. Wearing a mask shouldn't be such a big deal, but it is, so I wanted to applaud those of you doing the right thing and wearing your mask.
• I'll close the form once I hit 30 entries or on November 3, whichever comes first.  
• I reserve the right to disqualify any entries if the person submits something inappropriate or horrifyingly irresponsible. If you use this to be a jerk, you get nothing. 

Complete the Google Form today! 

Being a good citizen matters. Sending some love via a random piece of art matters. Neither of these things are going to make 2020 be less of a dumpster fire, but at least we can all scream inside our hearts together in the knowledge that we tried. We did something. That matters.