This is it! This is where we’ve been headed! After weeks of candidates and spouses….event after big media event, in about 7 hours the polls are going to open.
We never thought we'd be the Queen of the prom. Who thought little old Montana and their lame June 3rd primary, would be the focus of national attention? But we and our prom date, South Dakota, are nervously taking the stage to be crowned, the last two states whose voices will actually be heard!
Sure the popular girls in the corner were talking all day, saying mean things about Hillary being done, and ready to give up, but you know what...not before our big day. Nothing's going to take the shine off our moment in the spotlight. We've been waiting our whole lives for this.
All the door knocking, all the phone calls, and all those things volunteers do...they may pay off in a big way tomorrow. And I will be the first to admit: I didn’t think this primary on June 3rdwas going to be a big deal. But that was in January. That was before Super Tuesday decided nothing for the Democrats. Then it was March, and there were fierce rumors that the candidates may actually visitMontana.
Then cameApril 5th, 2008. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama addressed the Mansfield Metcalf Dinner inButte,MT.And the candidates didn’t stop coming. Today Michelle Obama visited both extreme ends of our large state, Kalispell andBillings.
It’s strange to think that tomorrow the eyes of the nation will be on my little state. All day today, I kept hearing the national media telling me that they'll be reporting live from here tomorrow. I'll be alongside them, taking in all the action.
So, enough reminiscing, now lets get down to business. It’s the day for action.VOTE. The Montana Secretary of State’s office is hypothesizing that we’ll get 47% voter turnout tomorrow. That’s significantly more than any previous primary election. In previous years, by this time most of the names on our ballot for President had already dropped out.
And it will be a busy day at the polls. According to the SOS office, we have 628,429 registered voters ready to cast ballots tomorrow. According to the Missoulian, as of last week, about 1000 more Montanans were registered to vote than in 2006. And compared to 2004 (the last PRESIDENTIAL primary,) there’s more than 32,000 new voters registered. There’s just something about this election.
If you have any questions about voting, or can’t find your polling place,your county election office can help you out, or call theMontana Voters Hotline at 1-888-884-VOTE (8683.)The polls are open from7 AMto8PM, unless you’re at a polling place with less than 400 electors, in which case, they may open atnoon. Another helpful website is here:http://www.montanavotes.net/.
And there’s one more thing you should know about as you head to the polls tomorrow: ballot initiative signature collection. As you come out of your polling place you may be asked to sign a petition to get CI-100 on the ballot. This is aConstitutional Initiative. It would change our state constitution. It’s called the Montana Personhood Amendment. For your information, here is the website of the authors of this legislation:http://www.life2008.org/, and here is the website of the opposition:http://www.noci100.org/faq.htm. There’s your heads up!
Well, it will be an exciting day, and I’ll be checking in periodically to bring you tidbits of information and happenings from around the state. As for now, as I think about the big dance tomorrow, I think: Should I rent a limo, or go to the polls in my mom's minivan?