ELECTION DAY LEARDERSHIP

Tuesday Nov. 8, 2012
Taking up the opportunity to complete a campus engagement, and help some of my elderly neighbors I ran a Gerri's Taxi Service before classes on election day. While walking my dogs on Mon. morning I ran across some of my friendly and not so friendly neighbors  that had different candidates signs posted along their yards. After speaking to some of them I offered my services to drive them to the poles to vote on Tuesday morning. I was surprised to see how many of them took me up on my offer. So starting at 6:30 in the morning I started driving back and forth to the pole set up at our local Knights Of Columbus/ Bingo Hall.
While being 5th in line waiting for the poles to open my neighbor told me she didn't like either candidate, but she knew that if she didn't vote she would be letting someone down. What I found startling was that see knew nothing about the 12 Amendments that where on this years ballot. We did discuss #6 in great detail and when she was done voting she told me she voted no but if I hadn't talked to her she would have voted yes to all 12. After dropping her off back home I returned to my home and picked up my sample ballot and the 8 x 10 mailing I received that was a summary of all 12 proposed amendments to the Florida's  Constitution. This turned out to be the best tool to have on hand to explain what each amendment was. When you get to the poles to vote you are given a ballot that basically you need a law degree to understand what they are asking you to vote for. Actually there was on 11 amendment since #7 needed to be rewritten and reinstated on the ballot as #8. I was very grateful that I didn't throw this away yet since I voted a week earlier. I drove 9 people to the poles that day but what happened at the poles was much more exciting. While waiting for them all to vote I hung around the line of voters and spoke to many about amendment #6.
Most people were going to vote yes and it scared me to see how little people understood what they were voting for. I used Gloria Steinen's statement during her speech " Would You Want Rick Scott In Your Doctors Office With You" and it worked. They got the message and I am happy to say that amendment did not pass in Osceola County. Now in no way do I think that I made the difference in that amendment but I do know that the 50+ people I spoke to that day during my 6 different trips to the poles did make a big difference. I felt really good about what I accomplished that day.