Today is officially election day in the US. Like many expats — and even many people living in the US — I took advantage of early voting, which in my case is more specifically absentee voting. As long as I remain a US citizen, I can continue to vote in US elections. Technically, I vote on the North Carolina ballot, since that was my last place of residence.
I may not live there any more, and I may have no plans to go back, but I have family and friends there who can be directly impacted by who the president is. It also impacts other countries, including the EU, and since I live in the EU, it’s all still relevant.
I was able to email a PDF of my ballot (fax and regular mail were also options), and I still have a copy of my ballot. I was very careful as I filled in the circles, joking that I didn’t want any “hanging chad” issues interfering with my vote! It was nice to physically fill something in, but I do miss going to my local polling place and casting my vote. I always got a bit of a thrill from it all.
![Brave Hond [Day 62/365]](https://i0.wp.com/farm5.staticflickr.com/4061/4403935288_8f1df14a80_z.jpg)
Fortunately, I will get my chance to physically cast my vote the next time there are municipal elections here in Utrecht. By then, I’ll have been here long enough to qualify to vote. I can’t vote in national elections here unless I become a Dutch citizen, but they kindly do allow legal residents who have been here a certain amount of time to vote in local elections. It makes sense that we get to have a say on local issues that affect us. No longer will I be like that little doggy, relegated to waiting for someone else to finish voting.
If you feel like voting — or voting some more — you can always vote for me by leaving a comment on this page about my blog. I promise to be a benevolent top-blog ruler if I win! Massive thanks to those of you who have already commented. I am truly touched by the comments you’ve left.
A Flamingo in Utrecht 
They are already reporting long lines in Huntsville and the surrounding suburbs- it is 8:02 in the morning. I think that the voter turnout is going to break records.
I’m sure early morning voting will be heavy with people wanting to get it over with before work, but I do hope voter turnout is strong everywhere.
Congratulations Alison on getting your vote in and am with you on the fear of the “hanging chad.” Can’t wait to get out and see what’s happening out in the streets, perhaps anti-climax but I hear on the grapevine lines are long. Love your shots!
I’m looking forward to your photos! I was living in New York in 2000 and remember going to vote after work. Who knew it would take so long to get a final result that year! Hopefully things go smoother this year.
Since it seems you’re voting for Obama, I’m glad you’re still voting š Here in Texas it’s not that exciting, since all the votes will go to Romney, but overall it’s a nail biter. My 13-year-old daughter wants to stay up to see the results, but I don’t think I will even stay up that late.
Oh, I feel your Texas pain. I was hoping NC would go blue again, but sadly it went back to red this year. At least the county I vote in went blue. Still, so frustrating! In the end, I’m almost glad I could get a few hours of sleep in before getting up at 3 am to watch the results. I never would have lasted otherwise. I hope you’re all not too tired today. At least there was a happy result!
I stayed up until about 2 am. My friends and I had fun on Facebook, commenting on how Fox News wasn’t calling it yet, and Karl Rove not giving up 20 minutes after CNN had called it…
All day I’ve got the feeling that people have been breathing a sigh of relief in Amsterdam. I even saw people congratulating each other on the train while holding up a news paper with the headline saying Obama had won.
That’s fantastic! I love the idea of people congratulating each other over it. It certainly makes my life easier here. We were here while Bush was still in office and I don’t miss those frequent conversations where I had to explain that I and many other Americans didn’t vote for him.