On Election Day 2004, I didn't cast a vote for President of the United States. I voted for every other position on the ballot, but with regards to who I thought the President should be, I abstained. I was not comfortable with any of the candidates. I didn't like any of them as a person, let alone a leader. I did not believe in choosing the least of several bad choices, so I chose not to choose at all. It was the first time since I reached voting age that I did not cast a ballot for this position.
This year was different. There were two people that I liked for different reasons. The other candidates didn't pique my interest, but these two did. I didn't know until the day before which one of the two I would ultimately choose. I liked that there were candidates running that made me want to dig in further to research past all the media hyper-analysis and political preening and posturing. If I could have cast a separate vote for Vice President, it would have been a tougher decision for me. I'm not entirely sure it would have been different, just more difficult.
This was the first time my youngest could vote. He was ecstatic his first vote would be cast in a presidential election. He took a shower, put on a good shirt and was waiting for me just inside the door when I got home from work. It's good to see him excited. It feels good that this year, there was no apathy.
This year, it's different. This year, it just feels good.