Ah, the glory of democracy--and, even better, a surprisingly efficient bureaucracy. We waited in line for approximately 35 minutes, and then signed off with very helpful poll workers and used a very compliant (if rickety) old voting machine. I don't know why I was expecting something snazzier than the lever machine, but for some reason I was. It was actually jarring at first to see something non-computerized used for such an important event-I guess I'm so used to Twittering, blogging, and vlogging that the concept of an old-school method of voting surprised me! Oops, my youth is showing. :)

I'll post my voting vlog soon. More interviews posted throughout the day!

UPDATE: Watch me get a little lesson in "showing up early to vote."

Well, it's time for me to get out to P.S. 167. I'm worried that I won't be able to vote because my name is spelled "Sarah" rather than "Sara" on my notification. Also, when I hadn't received my voter notification by 10/20, I called the NY Board of Elections and found that my birthdate was listed incorrectly. I corrected the information and was told that I would be sent a new notification, but I have not as yet received it.

If I'm turned away at the polls, I know that I can contact the Board of Elections, Rock the Vote, and, as my friend told me, "the media." Then I recalled the fact that I AM part of the media...so if I have issues at the polls here in NYC, I'll blog, vlog, and Twitter it here.

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This morning, all the left-leaning pundits on MSNBC are talking about how Obama's got it locked down. However, when speaking to twentysomething New York voters, I've detected both a joyful excitement about Obama and a grinding anxiety about the following possibilities:

1.) McCain wins, and young liberals feel the same disappointment and disbelief they did when Bush was re-elected in 2004.

2.) Voting irregularities lead to the push-pull situation we saw in 2000.

Regardless, I think it's waaaaay too early to call a post-mortem. I know it's tempting, but I think it's dangerous to do so.

When I sat down recently to chat with a reporter from a Finnish radio station, she asked a question that struck me: "While many Europeans see this election as a chance for the U.S. to repair its image abroad, do you think Americans regard it in the same fashion?" I was a bit stumped, because while I had my own answer, I realized I couldn't speak on behalf of all Americans because I simply didn't know enough of my fellow citizens' opinions on the manner. So, with a nod to Sini Vartanen of the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, I thought I might co-opt her question for this, my second-to-last regular assignment (not counting Election Day) for MTV's Choose or Lose program.  

Lea Palmieri, a 23-year-old Brooklynite, told me, "I think we are viewed as one of the most powerful countries, but people need to be reminded that we can and will use our powers for good."

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By all accounts, the Hofstra University campus is abuzz with excitement and nervous energy today as students and staff prepare for the final presidential debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. And according to student body president Peter DiSilvio, a double-major in political science and business management, the lottery to determine which students received tickets truly was a fair and unbiased endeavor—after all, even he didn’t get a ticket, and he helped bring the debate to Hofstra!

“This is my second term as [student body] president,” DiSilvio explained. “I was president during the ’06-’07 year. I helped mastermind and write the letter on behalf of the student body to the Election Commission.”

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I spoke to an array of Jewish college students, all of whom go to either Yeshiva University or Hofstra University, about their political beliefs with regard to McCain, Obama, and Israel.

Brent Weitzberg, a student at Hofstra University, took time out to speak to me about his faith, his Jewish identity, and his political opinions. Check him out over at my video section.

You can't throw a hot pretzel in this city without hitting a dyed-in-the-wool liberal Democrat. But where are the Republicans? They have to exist, right?

Yes, they're here, and while some of them are closeted, others are proud and out about their political affiliation. Chris Edwards, an officer of the New York City Young Republicans club, is one of them. Like many New York City Republicans, Chris is a fiscal conservative and social moderate. He is religious, but he's certainly not a member of a fundamentalist sect; rather, he is a member of a Presbyterian church.

Learn more about Chris in my new vlog at http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098A06F001700993A84/.

When actor Matt Damon recently spoke frankly about his opposition to Sarah Palin as John McCain's choice for vice president, the video clip of that interview got a lot of play online and on television. Damon's a Barack Obama supporter, but you have to wonder: do he or other celebrities really put their money where their mouths are?

Thanks to online tools like the Huffington Post's Fundrace 2008 and the site Open Secrets, you can easily find out about campaign donations made by the famous and nonfamous alike.

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