Tears in my eyes here. Thanks.

Wow. Nice. Recommended.

Great post.

My nine-year-old daughter filled out the presidential choice on my absentee ballot. We video-taped it and I think I'll put it on the utube and post a link on TPM.

This is one she'll remember her whole life. She made her own campaign posters and yard signs. Last night when I put her to bed we talked about how we hoped the world would change today.

This feels about a hundred times more important than any election in my life.

Don't leave your name. The R's will probably challenge your vote.

Nice.

All I can do is smile. Thanks.

Wow. Tears welling up here too. If I hadn't already voted, you would have spurred me to do it.

$20 says this post makes it Drudge by noon.

thanks for sharing

Truly touching. Thanks so much for that.

This is awesome. I brought my 7 year old and she "voted". She needed a little help for the Congressional race but got the Presidential.

I am in no way as eloquent as you but I felt pride and joy that my daughter witnessed the enthusiasm of this election. Her school "voted" and she handled the fact that McCain one well (we are in a very Red precinct in VA).

Anyway, tears are in my eyes. Thanks so much for this great story.

On behalf of my kids, thanks.

We all needed that this morning.

My wife still remembers being four years old and voting against Nixon with her mother, such is the power of voting. My five year old has been telling everyone that she would vote for Obama because he will end the war in Iraq. Last night she added "I don't McCain wants the war to end..." Creating a culture of voting is as important as voting itself. Nicely done!

Yes. Hell, yes.

This was a remarkable post but all the comments have also been uplifting. This was an election for the future and the generation who will have the opportunity to forge a brighter vision for our country in a time of incredible challenge. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Wingnuts will be all over you for voter fraud.

Beautiful. Thanks.

Beautiful and simply touching.

My five year old pressed the "Cast Vote" button, and checked that I was voting for I wanted to. He was awesome.

And yes, I'm voting for him and his 4 week old brother. I believe the world will be a better place because of my choice.

Keep it up, America. This Brit is finding himself incredibly moved by these voting tales. Remember: the rest of the world is watching as closely as you are, only we can't do anything to influence the result. After eight long, dark years, you - and the rest of the planet - are on the verge of something truly special.

Thanks. A truly touching intimate moment. A story like this will be embedded in our minds years from now as we remember how proud we felt--how proud I felt this morning being the 14th voter of Ward 09 to fill out my ballot--to vote this time.
I think of all the hype, anxiety, nailbiting, and tears over the past few months and know in my heart that that excitment will override all the lies, intimidation, hypocracy, and downright foolishness.
"It's a beautiful day!" - U2

Just beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.

I have to say that I was overwhelmed by emotion at the polling place this morning seeing the number of African Americans there with their children. My six year old voted with her father and I tried to explain how historic this election was and casting my own ballot felt very overwhelming, but watching those mothers and fathers with their children was too much....I just cannot imagine how powerful it must've been for those parents to share that experience with their kids.

After the past nightmarish eight years (with a hat tip to Andrew Sullivan): Know Hope.

You brought a tear to my eyes and not many can do that to this old man. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Thank you!

Oh there you go! You made me cry!

Thank you for including your child in our nation's voting process.

I will be dropping our ballots off this morning. I've already got roaring in my ears, and short choppy, breath. It's gonna be quite a day and night.

That nailed it for me. That is why we vote. Not for our own personal short term gain. That is it. Thanks for helping to clear out my tear ducts this a.m.

Yep, heartwarming. Impeccable logic too.

But the snarky side of my nature rebels just a little at the "purity and sanctity" of children - it's as if we believe all the wisdom and rationality in the world is concentrated in their little hands.

If that's so, why don't we let them vote?

I saw Obama working a rope line on TV. The camera picked up an ederly black man and black woman, perhaps husband and wife just behind the rope. I can't describe the look on their faces when Obama was right there in front of them, but maybe the shit they had to live through all their lives somehow disappeared with Obama there in front of them, and maybe their life will never be the same again.

I hope Obama is elected for all the people like that eledery couple.

Beautiful, beautiful post, tears in my eyes. I registered at TPM just so I could comment.

I'll definitely be thinking of my little one when I cast my vote for Obama after work, although I'm opting not to bring her along this year. (Have completely irrational fear that she'd accidentally flip the lever for McCain, and then open the curtain to lock it in. Yes, as far as I know we're still using old-style voting machines!)

If only my daughter had every reason to believe he, too, can grow up to be anything she wants...even President.

I have had the best conversations this year with my 12-yr old triplets. We've talked about the issues and we've talked about the electoral college. We've talked about what it means when a fellow student says that voting for Obama means that you're a baby killer. We've talked about what it means that voting for Obama means you want to give all of your money to poor people. We've talked about that it's OK that we might have to pay higher taxes if we vote for Obama. It's been great.

Nice try, Reed; but I'm not gonna... I said I'm not gonna... not... DAMMIT!!!

Yeah, OK, I got all teary-eyed, too....

Seriously, thanks for a very moving post. I have two sons of my own, and I'd like for them to come of age in a much better America than I did. What I've seen of the generation just now starting to come into it's own gives me tremendous hope for the future. Keep up the good work....

Ah, vote fraud.

Well it was for a good cause!

This is the second time you have caused me to cry tears of hope for my fellow man, Eastside; the first was your $600 contribution to the people of the Gulf Coast. Your son has a fine father. And, whether or not he remembers this moment, we will.

I hope that the young boy one day looks back on this morning and realizes the power and innocence which all Americans have at that one instant. I dream we all feel this way...today

My neighbors' children were in line today, too. When a slightly cranky six year old arrived and I told his dad I'd been in line for half an hour, the dad said, "well, maybe we should come back." But the six-year old said, "No. I want to vote." When I left, they were still waiting in line -- the six-year old determined to vote for "high-speed rail." It's wonderful to see people that young already learning about what it means to vote.

(And yes, I also teared up.)

I cast my vote for Obama in Brooklyn today and wished I could have been there with my partner, my same-sex partner, now my husband who is from Croatia. He can’t vote in the USA. He has never voted, not once, in any election, anywhere in his entire adult life. He has been here in the USA for 15 years as a student through high school, university, and graduate school and then the past 6 years as a hard-working, tax-paying H1B visa holder. His visa will expire at the end of this year and he will have to leave the country before Obama takes office.

So as I cast that vote today I did so with a great amount of hope for the future. Hope that things will change so that I as a US citizen will have the right to sponsor my husband to obtain lawful permanent resident status just like any opposite-sex, married couple would be able to do. Hope that Obama will cast away DOMA and support UAFA. Hope that my vote today will pave the way for a future in which I will be treated equally among my fellow citizens. Hope that I will realize the civil right to extend that right to sponsor the individual with whom I intend to spend the rest of my life with. Hope that we will be able to return to this country with full, legal status sooner rather that later to live our lives without governments treating us as less-than-others.

And I hope I will be there someday to witness my husband cast his first vote.

Trite, obvious, sweet, wonderful, moving, and simply brought actual tears to my eyes. Yes, that is why we do this. Thank you.

My god, I feel so deeply truly wonderful today.

To the author of this post (EastSide93): That was the most amazing post I have read in months. Maybe years. I am an old white guy (61) who lived across the river for you for a year back in 1973. We seldom drove across the river back then -- it was too scary -- we only heard about the crime and such. And I apologize to you for my fear back then.

Like you, I have seen the world change in these many decades. I grew up in Joplin. I went to a Catholic elementary school. The only Catholic family in the city had 2 sons who were in my class for all 12 years. I considered myself to be friends with them, but we never did anything outside school together. And, looking back, I feel bad about that. They were very nice guys.

Muhammed Ali changed this country. The entire world (white and black) admired him. Michael Jordan changed this country. I remembered being pleased at the world years ago when I would see lots of pre-teen and teenaged white boys wearing Michael Jordan's #23 t-shirts. I knew that the world was changing.

I remember thinking that the "Black is Beautiful" slogan from decades ago was just "PR" -- but then along came Dianna Ross and Janet Jackson -- and I realized that truly, Black is Beautiful.

Honestly, I was for Hillary. I didn't think my fellow citizens were ready for Obama. But they (my fellow citizens) have truly stunned me. I was floored and delighted to see photos of 100,000 white folk at an Obama rally in Denver.

As much as JFK did, I believe that BHO will change the world in a very positive way. For the first time in decades, I see the possibility of Peace on Earth.

I could ramble more -- a person has a lot of memories and thoughts at 61 -- but I just wanted to let you know that your Post, here on this site, has truly moved me.

With your permission [let me know if it is not given], I am planning to print your post on parchment paper -- and frame it in an expensive frame for the wall in my living room.

There is only one other item on my wall -- a picture of Matthew Sheppard from the Sheppard Foundation on their "Vote For Me" poster from 2006. It has been on my wall for 2 years. And I just this minute recognized how that poster and your post are truly entertwined around the same topic. I have new hope for America.

I wish you well.

My eight year old son has watched this election with an interest that surprised me, through 4 nights of the convention and lots of questions about our local propositions. He not only just voted for Obama, he voted against Prop 8 here in California - which he refers to as "that law some people are trying to pass that means you can't marry the person you want to marry". I have never been more hopeful about our future.

Wow, this was amazing. This brought tears to my eyes. I've never seen so much unity, hope, and love as I have with my fellow Obama supporters this election.

Tears in my eyes too.

Here's a fun video of my 2 year old helping shape the future!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKiPNSKsS6Q

Now he will have a story to tell like mine.

When I was 4, my Dad took me into the voting booth with him. It was one of those old mechanical booths with the curtains that close behind you. He was pulling levers all down the Democratic side but he didn't pull the top one. He picked me up, pointed at the top lever, and said "Pull that lever down." So I did. Then Dad said "Now you can tell everybody that you voted for John F. Kennedy."

Dad didn't make it to this election, nor did my Mom. They were lifelong Democrats, raised by Democrats, in a family of Democrats. So this year, I returned the favor. This one was for you, Mom and Dad. I hope I made you proud.

Wow, what a load of crap.

Together, Yes We Can!
The transformation is OUR transformation. It starts with each and every one of US.

Cute story, but I am tired of reading these ironic "Gotcha" headlines here, at MyDD and Kos. Been going on for weeks now. Stop it with those everyone.

To those who have described the post as sentimental and crap...
What did you intend to accomplish by verbalizing that? Let the rest of us have a moment where we can enjoy the feeling that true change is in the air. Our feelings are valid.
And if you disagree with that sentiment, your feelings are valid, too, but go to a different blog site and commiserate with them.

I took my 14 year old daughter with me to vote as I've done since she was born. We realized, as we were standing in line, that she will be able to vote for Obama's reelection in 4 years. She was very excited.

One word.

Classy!

He taught us about Medgar Evers, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis and many other civil rights figures who get lost in the shadow cast by Martin Luther King, Jr.

The oh-so-minor discordant point in a moving essay. Casting a shadow sounds ominous. Rather, their stars are less visible in King's brilliant sun.

I voted for Obama because I have a gay son and someday I have hope that all mothers of gay children can tell them that they too could be president.

Why do you want to make people cry?

yay! for your dear little boy!

Thank you. When Obama wins I WILL cry.

Then I have signs that say "Yes we did!!!" to put in my windows. I live on the 10th floor of a high rise and my windows are visible to everyone driving buy or waiting at a huge intersection near my building.

It's happening. It's happening.

Wow, Boyd.

You should hand out barf bags with your posts.

Moving, beautifully written post. Bravo.

And just for the record, anyone who can't see the progress this election represents for this society should be pitied. You can be very realistic and still be moved by what's happening today.

Well, I did vote for Obama this morning. I used to take my kid, but there was no fargin way to separate a high school student from a bed before 11:00 am on her day off.

Even Barack can't work miracles..

Beautiful, eastside.

Very beautiful. When I voted I placed my 11 year old son's hand on top of mine as I marked my ballot. Someday he will be proud that his first vote was cast for the man who is going to change our world.

Here in Oregon we vote by mail, so I decided that my daughters (ages ten and eight) would fill in the oval beside Barack's name. They were well aware of the significance of this election, and realized that one day they would take pride in having marked this particular ballot.

This entire election cycle has enabled us to examine with them the responsibilities and obligations of active citizenship.

I remember going to vote with my Mother in our small rural western Pennsylvania town in the late sixties. We had just moved here after my Dad had finished his residency in Delaware. He was about to be drafted as 1A after being classified 4F before he finished his education (He had a cleft palate, punctured eardrum and other things that would not qualify him). Since he had worked at the Dover AFB they thought he would welcome being in the service. He had four children under 8..so no he would not. So my parents quickly found a postion that would qualify him as essential. We moved...very far from my Mother's sisters who had been her support and help as my Dad finished school. I remember going into the booth with my mother, holding my baby brother as she juggled her pocketbook, my baby sister and her umbrella. Finally she told me to pull the lever to register her vote. I remember the pride it gave me that I was her big girl helper. (My older sister was in school that day, so it was a big deal for me to be the 'big sister') As we came out of the booth, the poll worker asked her "how did you vote?". My Mother was shocked because no one had ever asked her in previously. Since it was a new town, small and obviously important to know where this new Doctor's wife stood, my Mom being the sarcastic joker that she was, said calmly: "I voted the for the Communist Party if it is any of your business!" That shut the old biddy up wonderfully, except that when the results were published, 1 person in our town had voted communist. So for the rest of our time in that town we were labeled as "Pinkos".
Every election since, I vote in the tradition of my mother. I vote with my heart, with an eye to the future and with my children there with me. Announcing who you voted for is not as important as showing up and voting. Each and every election is important. Each issue is your chance to make a difference. Teaching your children that with great gifts comes great responsibilities and that we have to accept our actions or inactions have consequences. So vote, tell your neighbors to vote, tell your family to vote, tell everyone to vote. Because when we stop accepting our role in our government, we deny our children their future.

Excellent, excellent post.

My parents are from Alabama and Texas. They're 84 years old, former fans of George Wallace. I remember as a child my father still referred to people he worked with as "Good Ni***r" and talked about the racial tensions in the south (and not in a good way, if you get my drift). I was a confused kid, frankly, because most of my teachers in grade school (until 6th grade, anyway)were incredibly kind, gifted, intelligent, loving, and Black. We moved when I was 11 (in 1973) to an all white rural area because the "wrong kind" of people were moving into our neighborhood.

I now live next door to the house I moved into when I started 6th grade. My 9 year old daughter goes to the same grade school, but now she has African American friends, latinos, asians, Arabs, persians, and still a lot of "white" folk, and exactly zero issues like the ones I dealt with at her age.

My oldest daughter is now student teaching and lives in North Carolina and voted for Barack. My middle daughter blogs for him on Youtube.

And both parents just voted to help make a black man president.

I was worried for awhile but this is, in fact, still America.

Did it with my five-year-old this morning too. It was a reminder that what I do as a parent has an impact on the future of our society.

I don't understand you people at all. This story is full of cliches and probably just something that somebody made up. No wonder the country is in the mess it's in.

Thank you so much...beautiful post

That's beautiful.

I cast my first vote the same way: as a 7-year-old kid pulling the lever for my mom. Unfortunately, it was a vote for Bush the Elder, but it's something that stuck with me. Your son is going to remember this for the rest of his life. That's awesome.

Been waiting for the absolute proof our dream has come true, but you got me! Goose bumps & tears galore. I echo everyone here, beautiful!

Speaking with my mother this morning, it became clear to me why Barack Obama is special. Beyond his policies and speeches, he is the only presidential candidate I can remember, in my brief forty-nine years spent circling the sun, whose judgement supercedes his ego. I believe we can trust him to make choices which are in the best interests of our country and our planet. I find it ironic that McCain's slogan is "Country First." Should Republicans voting today truly wish to put country first, they should cast their votes for Senator Obama. Thank you, Mr. Reed, for touching my soul today.

Beautiful comment. I too teared up.

And I confess that I choked up when I voted in DC for Obama this morning. I realize that my vote doesn't really affect things, since DC will go Blue anyway. But as an upper income, middle aged white person who has enjoyed the benefits of American society, I felt compelled to stand in line for an hour to vote anyway. As I marked my ballot, I thought back to the images of my childhood of Bull Connor and the firehoses, of Schwerner, Goodman and Cheney of the Freedom Riders, of Viola Liuzzo, of Dr. King marching in Selma, of the time my family's house was targeted by vandals because we had Black friends. Little did I dream back then that I would one day vote proudly for a man as President who was Black.

Thank you.