It was my privilege to vote today. I belong to a generation notoriously known for its lack of interest in voting, politics, or anything patriotic. It really is our only flaw, other than that we are perfect! Right?

I am glad to say that this political apathy does not apply to me.

Every time I vote, I get a little teary eyed. I am reminded that this activity, which so many of us take for granted and don’t even participate in, was one of the primary reasons this great country was formed. And it is something, many in this world, are still not allowed to do.

I am thrilled that there are actually candidates this election that I would be proud to have as leaders. Since I have been old enough to vote I have felt like I have been voting for the candidate that I disliked the least. Not one of them has triggered my enthusiasm- until now.

I hope all of you went out and voted and that you will vote in November’s election. I also hope that you will educate yourselves. That you will watch the debates, listen to the candidates, research the issues, and decide unbiased who would lead this country in the direction you would like it to go.

I hope you will not let the race, sex, or religion of the candidates sway your decision. I would love to see a woman elected president but I refuse to vote for, or against, a candidate simply because they happen to be a woman.

Along those lines, I have to say it aggravates me when I hear of voters simply checking the box to vote entirely republican or democrat. It’s an extremely lazy way of voting. Most of the people that vote this way, I have found, know very little about the candidates.

Although many people seem to believe the contrary, integrity and great leadership are not party specific. When we think about the great political figures in American history such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, I doubt many of us, except for the few history geeks out there, recall what political party these people belonged to. We don’t remember because it is inconsequential. What matters is what they did for our country; their vision and initiatives. I hope you can all see beyond party lines and vote for candidates that demonstrate remarkable leadership and personal integrity, no matter what party they happen to belong to.

BTW for all of you who are aspiring history geeks: John Adams was a Federalist. Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were Democratic-Republican, the precursor to the modern Democratic Party. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican.

Another historic tidbit: while Andrew Jackson was campaigning for president his opponents started calling him a “Jackass”. He liked the term so much that he started using the donkey as his symbol. This eventually led to the Democratic Party being symbolized by the donkey.