John McCain has so excited the populace (or maybe it's because the populace is so afraid Barack Obama is a socialist Muslim, I'm unsure) that unprecedentedly long lines are forming for early voting here in Georgia. Dreading what it could be like on November 4th, Thursday dad and I headed up to our local early voting station to check the lines. Though the line was long, I got such a good parking spot (the lot was full) that I figured it was my duty to go ahead and tough it out.

Looking at the sample ballot, I felt dumb, as I always do on election day. Despite reading TIME and USA Today every day at work, as well as watching lots of CNN and C-SPAN, I realized I knew nothing about the local candidates and issues. Dad helped, though. "All you gotta know is trickle-up and trickle-down." Good point. Dad planned to vote D's all the way down "to give `em all the help they can get." I decided to use the same strategy.

Two-and-a-half hours later I was preparing to cast my ballot. First, though, there was paperwork to be filled out. I was confused, because we had to fill out a form titled "Request for Absentee Ballot." I wasn't requesting an absentee ballot. I wasn't absent, I was present! But I filled it out to match the sample on the table, and a poll worker said, "You're done. Good job." I asked him if this form wasn't really an IQ test to find out if I had enough sense to vote. (Now I know this form had to be filled out because it was early voting.)

Once that form was filled out I gave that and my driver's license to a poll worker who checked them against a database. ACORN fears are unfounded; Mickey Mouse will not slip by this process.

I hit the Barack/Biden ticket, then brought my nose to within an inch of the screen to make sure I had hit the right button. I've had fears I would somehow tap the wrong button and elect McCain. I also voted for Democrat Jim Martin in the state senate because how can we support a guy A.) named Saxby, who B.) doubted the patriotism of a man who came back from Vietnam with one arm and no legs? I left most of the other categories blank; I'm not sure what being Democrat or Republican have to do with being a criminal court judge, and I don't know the candidates, so I left those blank.

Last were Georgia General Assembly issues.

"Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the General Assembly by general law shall encourage the preservation, conservation, and protection of the state's forests through the special assessment and taxation of certain forest lands and assistance grants to local government?"

It sounds like you want to tax trees? I don't remember hearing about this on Meet the Press. Next.

"Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to provide by general law for the creation and comprehensive regulation of infrastructure development districts for the provision of infrastructure as authorized by local governments?"

I'm not smart enough to understand the question, let along vote on it. Next!

"Shall Corn County, Georgia, for the purpose of providing funds to acquire land located in Corn County for use as public parks in perpetuity, issue bonded debt in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $40,000,000?"

Hmm...Suze Orman says municipal bonds are good. I might like to invest in a municipal bond. I'm voting "yes."

I then went all the way back to page one of the 21 page ballot to affirm for a second time that I had just voted for Obama/Biden, then reviewed the summary page, and cast my ballot. From there we went to IHOP where I had an omelet and pancakes, then I came home and watched the AC/DC No Bull DVD I got at Wal-Mart.

That was a good day.