Less Is Fabulous.

Less is fabulous, except when it comes to the number of people sporting “I voted” stickers.

I just voted in today’s municipal primary election. The big-deal race: Las Vegas mayor. The even bigger deal: it’s the race to succeed term-limited Mayor Oscar Goodman, the self-proclaimed happiest mayor in the universe. Add to that the fact that his wife, Carolyn Goodman, is running against some other strong candidates, and you’ve got yourself  interesting hometown hype.

When I walked into Arbor View High School to handle my civic responsibility, the volunteers practically high-fived me. Hooray! A customer! Being the inquisitive type, I asked if it was busy earlier. They agreed that it was a “little busier” (so three people?), but seeing page after page of empty signature lines in the roster didn’t exactly confirm things.

Pathetic is the word that came to mind. When I lived in Erie, Pennsylvania, where it snows from Labor Day to Easter, the weather was always a worthy excuse. But this is Vegas, baby. The sun blinded me as I exited. My car’s thermometer read 81 degrees. Nope. Not the weather.

I dig the stars and stripes. I like voting. It gives a person the right to applaud or condemn elected officials’ decisions.  It’s a cool privilege, and being in the marketing and public relations profession, I know how much cash the candidates – even the highly unlikely hopefuls – pour into advertising. Even if I’m not passionate about platforms, I at least feel like I owe ‘em one so they can see a little ROI, win or lose. But then, I’m also the person who responds to Banana Republic and Fresh & Easy surveys because I feel sorry for the marketing director who had to convince a higher up that it was worth the bucks to conduct.

I’m not the super political type. I don’t care who you vote for just as much as you don’t care who I vote for. Everything I could possibly write about low voter turnout has been written before. It’s certainly not the first time I’ve been solo in Arbor View’s gym. But today I felt like sharing my two cents. Lucky for me, I have this blog and freedom of speech. So, before I get too preachy or keep you from getting to your polling place, I’ll sign off.

(P.S. Ladies, wouldn’t it be fantastic if they gave us those red, white and blue shoes instead of “I voted” stickers? Turnout would be through the roof.)