The Countdown

Two weeks from right now, polls will be closing on the east coast and people here will be waiting in lines to vote and I imagine the country will be on pins and needles. The "experts" are saying that we may not know who won the presidential election until Nov. 3 or even later. Nov. 3 happens to be my birthday. For my sake and the sake of my country, I really hope the election has been decided by Wednesday morning two weeks from now. If Kerry wins, that will be an extra b-day present for me, but even if Bush wins, having an election that doesn't have to go through litigation and doesn't leave the country even more divided than it already is would be of infinite value to the United States and, I imagine it will make my birthday more pleasant.

However, if we still don't know who the next president will be on my 26th birthday, maybe there will be rioting? Maybe news crews from around the world will be camped outside the Bernalillo County Clerk's office. (The clerk declared last week that the absentee ballots, of which there are expected to be more than 75,000, may not be counted until late Nov. 3rd.)Maybe it will be declared a national holiday because everyone will need to stay home and flip between CNN and MSNBC (and FOX for those conservatives among us) to watch people look at hanging chads or to find out where the missing ballot boxes have gone. I certainly don't wish for any of the aforementioned chaos, however, I believe all of it is entirely possible. Bush and Kerry lawyers could end up brawling outside courthouses and in front of cameras. The candidates could be forced to seek shelter in underground bunkers. We really just have no idea what is in store. The newspapers are saying that polls show a tie and that spells disaster. Maybe we'll split into two nations?

What a headache. I am so glad it's almost over.