I realize that I should feel really good about voting this past Tuesday. It was the first time I actually voted at a polling center. The only other time I voted (in the 2004 election) I voted by absentee ballot. I felt that whole process was very anticlimactic, voting weeks before the election. So, this year I thought things would feel different. However, that wasn’t quite the case.

Colorado changed its voting system this year. Instead of only being able to vote in your precinct, you could vote at any location in your county. This seemingly convenient system actually created longer lines and wait times for pretty much the entire state. I stood in line in the gym of my neighborhood’s rec center for over an hour before I actually got into a voting booth. Now I realize that there were people who had to wait in line much longer, and that maybe an hour doesn’t seem like a big deal. But I’m from a small town in a state with a very small population overall. I don’t do lines. And for that matter, I don’t do the whole paying for parking concept either, but that’s a whole other story. I made conversation with the people next to me in line, found out some of them actually lived only a few blocks from me and tried to stay cool as we all inched close to fulfilling our civic duties. Overall, it was a situation that no one could immediately improve, and at the end of the process I was mildly annoyed, but nothing that lasted longer than five minutes and nothing that would keep me away from the polls in the future.

I did my best to become an educated voter. I read over my blue book several times, talked about the issues with coworkers and friends and tried to ignore all of the advertisements on television as best I could. However, when it came down to it, as knowledgeable as I was about the candidates and issues, there were only two that I really cared about: the Amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman and a Referendum that would give domestic partners basic legal rights. I have refrained from getting political or jumping on too many soap boxes since starting this blog, most of the time I don’t feel like I would be able to really state what I’m trying to say. However, I will say this, there isn’t any other issue that gets me more riled up and more frustrated than the obstacles that gay couples (and individuals, for that matter) have to face in our society today. Considering that the US likes to pride itself in being the land of opportunity and freedom, where everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it’s pretty damn selective about who actually gets to partake in those rights. I think it’s ridiculous that some citizens of this country don’t have the same rights as others because of who they love and want to spend the rest of their lives with.

Needless to say, I was so disappointed and frustrated when Amendment 43 passed and Referendum I did not. I realize Colorado was not the only state to pass such legislation (except you, Arizona, thanks for giving us hope, but making English the official language? Okay…), but a part of me is scared to think of what could be next. Was I naïve to think our country was more open minded then this? I’m still proud to say I voted, and I realize that both victories and defeats are all part of the civic process. Of course, there were good things to come out of this election, so I can't complain too much, but another part of me is also glad to know that I won’t always live in a state that doesn’t allow basic civil and legal rights to all its people.

It will be an interesting two years. Can't wait for 2008.