Ballot received and will be counted

“Your ballot for the 2020 General Election was received and will be counted. Thank you for voting!”

It feels great to have this done.

It also brings back memories of living in Switzerland during the 2004 presidential elections. At that time I had only ever voted in person on Election Day and I wasn’t familiar with the absentee ballot process. So I missed the deadline (the only time in my adult life I didn’t vote for President).

The thing that surprised me was how passionately concerned my friends and family in Switzerland were about my participation in the process. For weeks I had people asking whether I had voted yet…and explaining to me about my right to an absentee ballot!

Some were actually rather upset with me when I admitted that I had missed the absentee ballot deadline! I had to assure them that — being from California, which was won handily by John Kerry — I hadn’t thrown the election to George Bush!

So I’m glad to have successfully voted, not just as an American, but also as a global citizen. Because I’m sure that this year my friends and family around the world are more passionately concerned with the outcome than ever before.