We never talked politics or religion in our house. But every Election Day, Pa put on that suit and went to the post office to vote. To do his duty. To teach me my duty. Oddly enough, I don’t recall my mother’s voting habits. I’m sure she voted. She was “Rosie the Riveter,” and a “Gibson Girl.” You don’t get much more patriotic than that. People like my parents survived The Great Depression and WWII by doing their duty. Obviously, my parents were a little older than most parents of people my age.
I’m not a particularly traditional person, but I decided that dressing up to vote is one trait I decided I’d like to emulate. For my father. For Democracy. For the United States of America. That really sounds very conservative to most people. I am very liberal, but old-fashioned in a lot of ways, I guess. Blame this on growing up in a town of 600 people. Such little idiosyncrasies have made it very difficult to adhere to a political party or its platform. Politics are complicated, but voting is simple, and I’ve failed to do it only once in the last 29 years. Even during a time of homelessness, I voted.
And I just finished voting. I put on some slacks and a suit coat, and got a lot of compliments and questions:
“You look really nice! Where are you going?”
“To vote.”
“Really?” [screwy facial expression; the kind you give a crazy person]
I don’t know if they’re reacting to the fact I dressed up to vote, or the actual act of voting.
This year, I put on the slacks and suit coat for the first time, and plan to do it every year, because, just by wearing a suit, my father taught me how important Election Day is.
I love my father, and my country, for that.
Sadly, I have no children to whom I could pass on this wisdom. I just hound my friends and neighbors about voting.
Please do your duty. Please vote today.
MrW
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