Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I Voted Sticker


I remember seeing these stickers on my teacher's and grown ups shirts when I was in Elementary school. I always wondered where they got them and if I could have one, too. Because EVERYONE had one!

As I got a little older I learned that you could only get that sticker if you were over 18 and voted. I was a bit bummed I had to wait so long.

Then 2004 happened and I turned 18 at the end of July. We had a big election coming up that November and I was so excited that RIGHT after I turned 18 I got to vote!

My family loves the absentee ballots so that is what I filled out. I have a picture of me holding the ballot... too bad digital wasn't as popular 4 years ago as it is now. AND all of my pictures from 4 years ago and beyond are in a vault somewhere in my parents house. Otherwise I'd have that picture here for everyone to see me at 18.

Because of the absentee ballot I didn't get an "I Voted" sticker. I was, again, bummed, but still excited that I got to vote! And the person I voted for won! Double winner.

I was telling my husband about how excited I was that I was FINALLY going to get an, "I Voted" sticker. He said he didn't know if there would be any at the place we were going to vote.

What?! No STICKER?!

He asked if I was old enough to vote at the last election.

I was a little offended, "JAREN. I'm 22. Four years ago TODAY I was 18. YES I voted."

He said, "Oh, I just didn't know if you would vote, you were so young."

OF COURSE I was going to vote! I was so excited! I wanted that sticker! Oh wait... I didn't GET the sticker.

Then he said, "Our little Whitney is all grown up!" To which I rolled my eyes (and giggled).

So, we drove down to a church building just a few miles down the road where they had a voting dealy. (For us folks out in the wilderness)

I looked at the couple leaving and didn't see a sticker on their shirt!! I told Jaren I was going to be sad if I didn't get one!

So I went in, looked around and didn't see any stickers. Maybe they were hiding them? Only to give to those who walked out having voted so as to weed out those people who come in and walk out pretending to vote to get a sticker.

I hoped they were hidden which was why I couldn't see them.

I got my big long paper ballot thingy, grabbed a pencil and went to a little wobbly booth. And voted.

I tipped my big metal container into a box where my paper slid into it so no one could see my TOP SECRET bubbles.

And then looked at them and smiled.

They smiled back.

I looked for my sticker.

NO STICKER.

Only Salt Water Taffies!!

NOO!

Now I have to wait another 4 years or 2, whenever I decide to vote again. And Jaren said, "This is where we will vote from now on."

What he MEANT to say was, "This is where we will vote F.O.R.E.V.E.R." You know, like on the Sand Lot. For EvER. For EvER.

These old people (oh, they were all OLD) don't get the stickers!!?!

I don't want to vote there anymore. I WANT MY STICKER!

So I'm a little sad about it. And now I have to do a big huge mid term that I've put off for almost a week that is due tomorrow.

It's a condition. Procrastination. Did you know that? Ramona says so and that means it's true!

.....and a sticker?

30 comments:

Dads(2) said...

you ROCK--Sticker or no sticker

Kristina P. said...

Do you want my sticker? It's sitting in the trash.

Whitney R said...

You took it off ALREADY?!

Erin said...

I'm sorry you didn't get a sticker. Mine didn't look like that. My O in vote is actually a thumb print. Does that mean they got my prints while I was touching the computer screen???

Jillybean said...

I'll trade you my sticker for your salt water taffy.

The last time I voted in a local election, I got a sticker and the nice elderly lady gave my (then) two year old son a sticker too.
And they had pumpkin chocolate chip cookies too.

Whitney R said...

you got to vote on a TOUCH computer screen?!

Man. You are so high tech. I had to fill in the bubbles.

Whitney R said...

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookes?! Okay, I might have given up my sticker for those. But definitely not salt water taffy! I get them all the time!

Jillene said...

I didn't get a sticker this time either because I voted by mail--2 weeks ago. Sorry--maybe next time?!

Aquaspce said...

Maybe if they promised me stickers... I'd try to sneak in a vote. Really, who doesn't like stickers?
digging the new background btw.

Ashley Outnumbered said...

You got it wrong it's For-ev-VER (there's an extra V in there for emphasis). I love that movie! :)

Salt water taffy is lame. Sorry it turned out so disappointing. Since you've been making shower invites, why not whip up your own little do-dad to wear? Look on the bright side. You would be the only one with it, and everyone else would be jealous. (Plus you could blog about it, and it would take away another one of your November posts). Just a thought...:)

Goob said...

My mom used to take her sticker plus my dad's sticker and cut them up to make an "I VETOED" sticker...lol I was going to do an "I Vetoed" post today, but the election has me all weird feeling, plus, JP who hasn't blogged more than 2 times in the last 6 months made an entry yesterday and I don't want to supersede it with my silliness just yet.

Alexis Treese said...

I look forward to the sticker too. It doesnt just say "I voted", it says to those who didnt vote..."Im better than you."

Anonymous said...

Well I voted early and ended up losing my sticker to my 2 year old the minute I received it. She then proceeded to stick it to everything she could get her hands on and it eventually ended up in the trash...

I was pretty livid when I heard that Starbuck's was giving out a free coffee to anyone wearing a 'I Voted' sticker; then I remembered the heavenly five minutes I had to myself as my daughter was occupied with that sticker. It was yummier than any coffee...

Anonymous said...

You can have my sticker!:(

Misti said...

Yea for voting! We took Dagan and voted, and both got stickers. It you want, you can have mine. I didn't put mine on for some reason. Mike didn't want a sticker, but then when he got it, he put it one. It's true, everyone likes a sticker.

Kristal said...

My sticker is on my blog. I;ll share with you! The stickers are awesome. Not just because you get to announce that you voted, but Krispy Kreme gives away free donuts if you wear the sticker, gas stations give away free drinks, and the dollar store gave me a beach ball when I checked out today becaue of my sticker. Huzzah!

Kristal said...

My sticker is on my blog. I;ll share with you! The stickers are awesome. Not just because you get to announce that you voted, but Krispy Kreme gives away free donuts if you wear the sticker, gas stations give away free drinks, and the dollar store gave me a beach ball when I checked out today becaue of my sticker. Huzzah!

Jo said...

I got a sticker! I left, realized I didn't get one,and had to go hunt the sticker people down to get it. I wore it all day, I just took it off, and put it on my calendar so I can see it in years to come. Sorry you didn't get one, maybe next year?

Kristal said...

Sorry...I hate when I double click .>:(

*MARY* said...

Hey, I just blogged about stickers too.
I wonder what ever happened to those Sandlot kids.

Katie said...

Yeah...so we don't even have the option of stickers in Oregon. They mail you your ballot way ahead of time. Once you fill it out you just drive up and drop it in glorified mail boxed that they use for ballot collections. It's real glamorous and all. We're real fancy like that here.

Victoria Elder said...

I'm crying for you

Christa said...

I voted and I got a sticker. Not to rub it in your face or anything, but I did get one.

Wendyburd1 said...

I go to some church that it 2 minutes away, seriously and GOT me a sticker so anyone I Saw today would know, YEAH I did my civic duty dude!! Stickers are neccessary!! No treats like taffy here though...I love good taffy!!

Anonymous said...

I am SO sorry you've never gotten a sticker. I"ve always gotten one, along with any preschool kids I had in toe at the time. (CA was nice that way. Not sure if they'd do it here in ID, because all my kids are in school now.) I'll send you min next time. It'll be a few days late, but then yours will stand out!

Sara Ann said...

That is so sad, I totally live for the sticker! I hung mine on the fridge where it will hang forever...or at least until next year when we move out of that apartment.

Whitney R said...

Victoria - shut up. lol.

Kayleigh said...

I actually had a discussion with a guy today about if he got a sticker or not because I'd read your post on it. He didn't get a sticker, either. Although that probably doesn't make you feel any better.

Wendy said...

want me to make you feel worse!! they have both my kids stickers and they are 4 and 7!!! they didn't have to wait to vote or to be 18

Lee said...

I can't vote for another two years, but if I don't get a sticker I'm totally going to be bummed! Those stickers are like your declaration to the world!