Early voting started Monday in Texas and runs through next week. Have you voted yet, or are you waiting until November 6th?

I voted earlier today and I thought I’d pass along some of the things either I learned for the first time, or that were reaffirmed to me.

1. Voting early does not mean you will avoid a long line at the polling place. My line stretched out the door and onto the sidewalk, but I was finished in about thirty minutes.

2. You can take the kids. I had three of them. And I saw another mom with two kids and a stroller, so I didn’t feel too bad. All of the kids were good, and the funny faces gave the others in line something to look at to pass the time.

3. Election officials appreciate kids. When I got to the front of the line, handed over my ID, and mentioned I brought the family, the election administrator smiled and said, “That’s good! They’re learning.” Indeed.

4. Don’t forget your ID. You don’t need the voter registration card necessarily, but if you don’t have it you do need your Driver’s License.

5. Make sure you’re in the right county. You don’t have to be in the right precinct during early voting, but you do have to be in the right county. Someone at our location was turned away because they weren’t in the right county.

6. Election results are not immediately available. Right after I cast my ballot my four-year old said, “So who won?” Perhaps I haven’t taught her as much as the election officials think I have.

7. It feels good to vote. Yes, there are millions of voters in Texas and millions more in the US, but without each of us telling the world how we feel, there would be no point. So go vote!

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