Many people posted pictures of their "I Voted" stickers on facebook and Instagram on election day. It used to feel a little funny to be handed a sticker at the end of voting as if I were a grade school child who had accomplished a task. But over the years I have come to appreciate that sticker and wear it with pride.
I am a Christian and a Republican who lives in Orange County, but my county is in the state of California. I found out what that meant the very first year I voted for a president. I remember thinking, "What is the point of voting in California if you are a Republican?" There was absolutely no way our state would ever produce enough conservative votes to send a Republican vote to the Electoral College, and I was a bit frustrated.
By the time my second presidential election vote came around, our country had been sending soldiers overseas for Desert Storm. I remember tears slipping down my face one morning during the first year of deployment as I stood to say the pledge at the high school I worked at. This was the first war the US had been involved in in my generation, the first that I could remember. It was the first time I was mature enough to understand what the flag truly represents. My mind and heart were flooded with emotion for the blessing of living in our country, and for those men and women who were making sure our country remained free. I voted that year with a silent pledge to always vote no matter how grim the future looked. It is a privilege to go to a polling place, to mark that ballot based on my personal thoughts and opinions, and to be allowed cast my vote without fear of retaliation. That experience has stayed with me over the past 20 years. When election day comes around, I always look forward to voting, and I wear my sticker with pride. I hope you do too.
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