AAUW Dialog

Having been through a long primary season and not knowing what to expect on Tuesday, staff were asked on Monday to share their thoughts and experiences on the day.

11/04/08 Election Day! Voting line at 6:15 am in Reston, VA

Worth the Wait

My partner and I woke up at 5:30 a.m. so we could be at the polls when they opened at 6 a.m. in Reston, Virginia. We were not the only ones with this idea, and so we waited in line for over an hour to vote. The wait was worth it. I will be proud to tell future generations that I was part of this historic election and this pivotal moment in American history!

— Holly Kearl

Gramma’s Write-in

My grandmother told me for years that she wanted to live long enough to vote for a woman for President. Throughout the primary, she thought that opportunity might come true. My mom called me from Florida to let me know that she had just submitted my grandmother’s absentee ballot. My grandmother, staying true to her chance, wrote in Hillary Clinton for president. My grandmother and I are 60 years apart in age, and now she’s passed the dream to me — not just to vote for a woman for president in my lifetime but to inaugurate one.

— Kate Farrar

Metro Station on Election Day (Obama/Biden)

Let’s Talk

In past presidential elections, I noticed a certain decorum at the polls; even in the rare case of a line to vote, people generally did not talk to one another or connect in any way. Yesterday was different! Not only were the lines long, signaling a renewed civic engagement, but the palpable sense of wanting to connect, to form community with, to talk about the possibilities for America, was a significant shift in the wait to exercise a hard-won and precious right. As a black woman, I could not have been more proud, and after casting my vote (to quote Bob Schieffer’s mother), I did “feel big and strong.”

— Sharvell Becton

Metro Station on Election Day (McCain/Palin)

The Future Looks Bright

Area schools were closed, and some of the next presidential election’s possible first-time voters got involved at one local Metro station. Their active participation gives me hope that the gains made this year will not be a one-time occurrence.

— Peggy Woods-Clark

"I Voted" Sticker

I’m Just Here for the Doughnuts

This was my first time voting since moving to D.C. (Sorry, Missouri, I know you could have used me!). I didn’t really know what to expect. I walked to the polling place, only to find a line halfway around the block. Toward the end of the line was a bake sale for a local school trying to solicit a civic-minded, captive audience; after all, who can pass up buying a doughnut while waiting in line? Local politicians, including a candidate for city council, a wife of a candidate for senator (I didn’t even know D.C. elected a senator), and the Ward 6 Democrats were also working the crowd, handing out flyers and bad-mouthing the competition. It took about an hour to get into the building. Once in the building, your wait was determined by the first letter of your last name (the woman managing the line blamed it on the “Browns” and the “Smiths”). I soon got my ballot and #2 pencil and headed to the voting booth to cast my vote. I proudly selected my candidates, turned in the ballot, and got my “I Voted” sticker.

— Kathryn Montiegel

Not missing a Moment on Election Night

I Didn’t Want to Miss a Moment

It felt like a tennis match, from laptop to TV and back again. I finally put one in front of the other and watched both at once!

— Christy Jones

Dancing in the Streets

All day I debated whether to watch the returns from home or in D.C. In the end, I headed up to a bar near the U Street corridor. When the winner was announced, my friends and I went outside to find crowds dancing and chanting “Yes We Can” and “U.S.A.” in the streets. Every car that drove (very slowly) down the street was honking in support, and drivers were sticking their arms out the window for high fives from the crowd. Even Metro buses were getting in on the act. The crowd then headed down 14th Street to the White House, where there was more screaming, hugging, and cheering. At one point, someone paraded a life-size cardboard cutout of Obama through the crowd to even more applause. I left the group at 12:45 to make the reverse march back to my car, but I hear the celebration went on well into the night.

— Liz Bolton

Historic Texts

Last night as I watched Obama’s speech with my family, my kids’ cell phones started beeping. Who’s texting you in the middle of the speech? I asked. Turns out the messages were thank-you notes, signed simply “Barack.”

— Rebecca Lanning

Forty Years Later

I cannot express how excited I was about Election Day 2008. I have a lot of respect and appreciation for McCain’s concession speech. The Obama speech was clear about expectations, and working together is the key to moving the United States of America forward. The most poignant thing I saw last night on my way home was the U Street corridor in Washington, D.C. In 1968 this area was on fire because of the riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Last night, the U Street corridor was “on fire” with people of all races, ages, and ethnicities celebrating the election of our 44th president, Barack Obama. YES WE CAN!

— Claudia Richards