Hope

Just returned from Pennsylvania, and I can tell you that it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I was primarily stationed (they moved me around when issues came up) at a supersite that housed 3 districts. At the end of the night, over 70% of registered voters cast a ballot - not including absentee and provisional ballots. In one district, 510 out of 709 voters cast a ballot. Considering the fact that some of the no-shows were absentee, provisional, dead or relocated, that is truly amazing. Unbelievable turnout.

But the real story was the people I met. I'll never forget the woman who threw her arms at the sky in thanks that she lived to experience this moment, or the man who broke down because his parents did not. I'll never forget the man who told us that he participated in the freedom rides, and how much it meant to him that we were there to protect the right to vote that was so dear to him. I'll never forget the families - 2, 3 and 4 generations at a time, who voted together, no doubt some of them for the first time ever.

America changed yesterday. Wounds healed, hearts mended and a new hope was born. Everyone there could just feel it - an unspoken recognition of something bigger than the individual voters, volunteers and poll workers. Hope. Hope has been missing for a long time - longer than 8 years. There will be tough times ahead, but hope has returned. And from my experience today, hope will be the first step to helping this country once again meet its great potential.