Post/Comment About Voting

I've been thinking a lot this morning about the election process, as my list of assigned articles suggests, and because I know that many of you will be voting/have voted for the first time, I'd really like to know more about your experiences, and I came across a blog assignment by Alex Halavais that sounded really interesting (my assignment is pretty much an exact paraphrase of his). I know the first time that I voted, I found it to be a pretty powerful experience. I might tell you more about that later, but for now, I'd like to hear your stories. You have a couple of choices here:

1. Simply post (or comment) about your experience voting. For most, if not all, of you, this will be your first time voting. Describe the experience. What is the polling place? How did it feel when you were voting? Like Alex, I'd imagine that many first-time voters are either nervous or cautious, simply because they have no frame of reference for what it's like to vote. What were you thinking about? As always, you're welcome to tell us who you voted for, but you don't have to.

2. For those of you who didn't vote (due to age, citizenship requirements), feel free to explain why. Do you wish you had voted? Again, you can tell us who you would have voted for, but you don't have to.

3. In both cases, I'd also be interested in knowing how the media coverage or how class discussion might have informed your experiences as voters. Again, you don't have to say how this might have influenced whether or not you voted for a specific candidate, but did your participation in an election-themed class change your frame of reference on voting?