So much for a secret ballot!

In the months leading up to the election, Benny and Sammy have learned to recognize John McCain, Barack Obama, and Sarah Palin by sight. (Apparently Joe Biden did not interest them very much, because they never could remember who he was.) So, since they have shown an interest, well as much of an interest as can be expected of a preschooler, I asked Benny if he would like to come with me to vote this morning. At first, he was unsure, however, the longer that it took me to get ready, the more impatient he was getting with me because he wanted to go vote.

So, we got out the door at around 7:30 to head to our polling place. Tim had gone earlier and reported long lines with up to 100 people. When I got there, there were about 50 people in line. I was quite surprised because I have never waited even 3 minutes to vote before. We checked in immediately, but then had to wait a while for my ballot.

Benny was looking around very wide-eyed asking questions and taking it all in. Sammy, on the other hand, was not that interested. His one comment the whole time we were there was, "Can we go to school now? My tummy's hungry."

While we were standing in line, I was telling Benny that when you vote it is a secret. That's why when you vote you go into a booth so that you can have some privacy. He seemed to understand the concept while I was explaining it.

I finally got my ballot and we headed to a booth. Benny was standing between myself and the booth. He was standing on his tip toes so that he could see my ballot and how a person actually votes. I filled in the bubble next to John McCain and Sarah Palin and Benny immediately whispered quite loudly, "Mommy, why aren't you filling in the dot next to Barack Obama?"

I saw the people around me immediately look up, and told Benny through gritted teeth, "Pipe down! I'll tell you in the car!" Also, I made a mental note of how glad I am that Benny is learning how to read.

I quickly finished voting and headed over to submit my ballot. The boys were thrilled to receive I Voted stickers just like Mommy. Benny asked me all the way to car why I wouldn't want Barack Obama to win. I told him not to worry, that I'm sure Daddy probably voted for him.

On the way to school, I was seriously doubting my brilliant idea of giving the boys a real-life civics lesson. That was until we got to school and they ran to their teachers to tell them all about how they got to go vote. I was glad that the boys were interested, and even more glad that they were excited to have been a part of history . . . even if it was at the expense of my secret ballot.