Swing State

The website for the Ohio DMV is difficult to find, mostly because there is no DMV in Ohio.  Instead, the Buckeye State has a BMV (B for Bureau) and it is wonderful.  I'm not sure whether  bureaus are categorically more efficient than departments, but my experience at the BMV made me never want to set foot inside a DMV in New York or New Jersey again.

Well, now that I'm registered to drive in Ohio I'm also registered to vote in a swing state.  I believe that my vote counts for more in Ohio, and the resulting excitement has led me to forget about my skepticism towards the voting process in general.  In the past, I always suspected that the people in charge of tallying the votes discarded  the ballots and simply negotiated among themselves.  And given that most voters are far more biased than they are well-informed, my suspicions about the round file method of ballot counting never stirred my sense of indignation.

But never mind all that gloomy rot.  This time and place has me feeling like voting actually matters again.  Obama has spoken once in a school in Toledo and once in nearby Bowling Green.  People are gathering in coffee shops to discuss the candidates (though as a newcomer to town, I've been reluctant to butt in).  It's good to be here!