How it feels to VOTE

Yesterday, on November 2, 2010 elections to the United States Senate were held. If I was in Armenia I would know about it from the breaking news on CNN or some fresh newspapers. Here, in Budapest where I have a pleasure to study together with the lovely young people from 20 (or so) countries, I had a different experience of learning about the upcoming event in the US political life. Besides the number of posters at school and in the student dormitory reminding to the US citizens to Vote From Abroad, I could notice Facebook statuses by my American classmates on the same topic as well as discussions in class and during the breaks.

And the thing that made me write this post is the way they talked about it and precisely the way they perceive their participation in the elections. They were so excited discussing the upcoming event. Why? – i was asking myself. Well, just because they believe in their direct (through the inderct means) participation in the national event. They value their vote and believe in its power.
Well, I am not discussing the level of democracy in the US in this post. I am not discussing whether each citizen’s vote is really to decide who will become the Senate members, etc. I am talking about people’s belief in and enthusiasm for their role in their country’s political life.
That’s what I miss as a citizen of a proclaimed democratic country, that’s what I am eager to feel going to the polling station and that’s what, unfortunately, I never felt yet.
So I wish myself and my compatriots to live a day in our lives which we will be looking forward to in order waking up in the morning to go voting to express our will and deliver our position, strongly believing that those will be heard and considered as a priority for the authorities.
And then, I promise, I’ll write another post and I’ll call it: I KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO VOTE!