Election Day Quiet

By Tripp Hudgins, Voter

I’m wearing a tee-shirt I purchased on election night eight years ago in Chicago. I was fortunate enough to be present at Grant Park when the United States elected its first African-American President. It was a loud night. Energy was high. Music was turned up to eleven and every time a state’s results came through for Obama, Chicagoans from that state would erupt in cheers. As Virginians, my wife and I cheered loudly when Virginia was called for Obama.

So, on the way home, walking the streets of Chicago in front of the Art Institute, I bought this shirt that said, “Chicago’s In The House.” I love this shirt.

Yep. We voted. Let’s go clean the kitchen.

Today my wife and I walked with our eighteen month old son to our polling place. Berkeley is rife with both polling places and students. This means that polling places are quiet. There was no line. EP was able to wander around and flirt with the volunteers. Our four-page, double-sided ballots took a while to fill out, but we did.

And it was so very quiet. We spoke about how anti-climactic it all was.

“Yep. We voted. Let’s go clean the kitchen.”

I voted for more ballot measures than I believe is wise to have on a single ballot. I voted for mayor of Berkeley (a tight race between six or more progressive candidates). I voted to end the death penalty In California. I voted for national election reform. I voted against some tax increases. I’m not a single issue voter by any stretch, so my ballot was rather a mess when I was done.

And, of course, I voted for Hillary Clinton.

I am sure you are shocked.

But what about this silence we encountered? Was it devotion? Was it anticipation? Boredom? Perhaps it’s just simple exhaustion after an agonizing twenty-four month process that ended in silence. I really don’t know. But Berkeley is quiet today. The simple things like family and meals are set to the fore. The larger concerns have been entrusted to the larger body politic.

Berkeley is quiet today.

So very quiet.