Sufferin' until Suffrage... and beyond

[tzikeh]

Got up this morning and pulled on my hoodie (didn't have time to buy a black one, so I went with navy blue and a bright bayberry mock turtleneck underneath - for the stylish mosher on the go!) and made my way to the polls.

My vote was challenged.

I looked at the six people behind the table and said, "Oh, ok, so, I can't vote, right? I should just go home?"

The one white, blonde, coiffed lady smiled. The five black people looked at me in horror.

I looked right at the blonde lady and said "Oh, *please*. Could I speak with a voter's advocate?"

Facial expressions were reversed.

With a minimum of fuss, I got my ballot. I voted. Then I offered to head to the grocery for the folks behind the table. They all said they were fine, but thanks for offering. We exchanged "have a good day!"s and I left.

It's not over by a long shot, but at least I did what little I could.

Comments

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

I can see it all unfolding before me almost like I was right there. It's a beautiful thing.

Did the blonde lady try to tell you that HP is an obscure fandom too?

[falzalot.livejournal.com]

oh thanks. I just spewed diet coke all over my monitor.

[tv-elf.livejournal.com]

Snerk. But not if you cross it with Bush in some freaky rps/fantasy voting block.

[falzalot.livejournal.com]

You got challenged?! Holy shit! But good on you for figuratively shoving that chick's smile down her throat. :->

[sanj.livejournal.com]

Good for you, educated voter woman!

That's indefensible -- why in the name of all things holy did they challenge you?

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I supposed because I've moved in the last year. From like, one block in my district to another, but ...

[tv-elf.livejournal.com]

I think I loves ya.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

I wish I'd known about the hoodie thing this morning. *sigh* No time to go home between work and rehearsal, either.

Go you with the standing up to the meddlers!

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

What IS the hoodie thing?

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Eminem put out a video called "Mosh" which is just a freaking work of art, about Bush, and the vote, and rights in this country. As people join the, well, resistance, for want of a better word, they don black hoodies and wear them to vote. It became a movement relatively quickly.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Apparetnly it comes from one of the Rock the Vote PSAs, with Eminem. Whom I normally want nothing to do with, but for this I'd make an exception.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Ah. And see, I should have waited to see whether there was a better explanation posted before I flung my half-assed one. :-)

Thanks!

Mosh

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

You can see it here: http://www.gnn.tv/content/viewer.html
or here: http://mosh.eminem.com/video/
or here: http://www.rapbasement.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1071

Re: Mosh

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Dialup at home (not that I'm ever there this week), no sound at work. :-/

Thanks anyway, tho!

Re: Mosh

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

It's also in heavy rotation on MTV... well, on those rare occasions that they actually *play* music videos. I couldn't download it with my feeble dial up, so I told Tivo to grab me the next bunch of vids on MTV, and voila, it was the first one they played.

Re: Mosh

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

No cable either, alas. *martyred look*

This dual-household thing is the suck. :-P Sooooooon...

But thanks anyway. I'm sure I'll get a chance to see it sometime.

Re: Mosh

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

No cable either, alas. *martyred look*

This dual-household thing is the suck. :-P Sooooooon...

But thanks anyway. I'm sure I'll get a chance to see it sometime.

Mosh

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

You can see it here: http://www.gnn.tv/content/viewer.html
or here: http://mosh.eminem.com/video/
or here: http://www.rapbasement.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1071

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

laughing.

coughing.

choking.

I died for your vote.

and it was worth it!

[penknife.livejournal.com]

Go, you!

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

You rock like fuck. (:

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

You go!

And now, I'm off to do my part in the defoliation of the White House!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

ICON LOVE

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

Yeah, baby. You go.

[amberfox.livejournal.com]

I looked right at the blonde lady and said "Oh, *please*. Could I speak with a voter's advocate?"

*smirk* *dies* Oh, that's beautiful! Go, you!

[greywingnut.livejournal.com]

Poor, foolish Challenger Person. S/he really picked the wrong gal to mess with. I can think of no one in the world who would more ferociously and formidably defend her rights than you.

It's a good thing you got your ballot with minimum fuss. It would have taken them the better part of the day to find all the bloody chunks of Challenger Person scattered about the polling place.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

I dont' even know you (followed a link from Rivkat's LJ) and yet I think I'm a little bit in love with you right now.

You rock. What a way to stick it to the blonde, coiffed would-be-disenfranchiser. However, it's also kind of disturbing. I mean, you're the first person I've seen post a personal story of being challenged. So, was the blonde, coiffed one the Repub challenger or was she an elections official? And who actually did the challenging?

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

My *guess* was that she was the precinct's Republican challenger, in that "one of these things is not like the other" kind of way. She had a great big book in her lap and was checking names. When I got to the election official, my name in the book was on a pink page, rather than a white page. I was told this meant my right to vote had been challenged. There were a LOT of pink pages in the book. Once I was able to verify that I am who I say I am, I live where I live, and that I had voted before, I was given a real ballot and sent to the next available voting booth.

If they hadn't given me a real ballot and asked me instead to fill out a provisional ballot, I can assure you the story would have continued. ;)

[klia.livejournal.com]

I knew you'd get your ballot and everything would work out, because, well, it's *you*, and you know your rights. But. It upsets me on so many levels to wonder how many people will encounter the same thing, and just let themselves be turned away because they don't know any better. Just... gah.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Yes. It's incredibly frustrating. This entire election is both a joke and a horrorshow.

[klia.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I've been in a ::closes eyes, covers ears, la-la-la-la-la:: place all day. The stress of this stupid election is making me sick. :P

[barbary-coast.livejournal.com]

Why was your vote challenged? That's horrid.

[neonnurse.livejournal.com]

I worship you. Officially!