I’m a longtime election geek. You can blame my dad, especially, for that. I don’t remember when he started taking me with him to go vote, but I do remember that I never rode the school bus on an election day.

Back then, voting was a different experience. You walked into a tall curtained closet thing, and pulled a big lever to close the curtains behind you. Dad would lift me up and point to the smaller levers indicating the candidates for whom “we” were voting, then I would push the levers down. I remember at least 2 elections worth of trying unsuccessfully to pull the big lever that actually cast the votes and re-opened the curtains, and being SO EXCITED when I was finally big and strong enough to pull that lever. (I hear it still works like that in New York.)

Now, there isn’t even as much privacy as I get paying the bill at the Reproductive Endocrinologists. Or as there is in a study carrel at the library. And don’t even get me started on the hackability/insecurity of electronic voting.

But that’s not actually what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk about how awesome this election season has been for democracy.

Can you even remember another election where practically every story in the early primaries talked about voter turnout? Or when you really couldn’t tell who the nominees were going to be even after Super Tuesday? In EITHER party???

I voted for Obama.

I originally decided that I was going to vote for him back in July or August, but since then, I’ve become more and more excited about him. Not that I dislike Clinton — if she wins the nomination, of course I’ll support her. But Obama is inspiring.

And even more inspiring? ALL YOU OTHER VOTERS!

I just love that so many people are caring, are participating in the democratic process, are talking to their friends and colleagues about the candidates and the issues that are important to them.

In 1980, a Carter campaign staffer stayed in our guest bedroom for the last few weeks of the campaign. He had a daughter who was a couple of years younger than me — I was 11. She came out for the final long weekend.

As a mature, knowledgeable sixth grader, I took the city bus everywhere. Including with my new 4th grade houseguest, to the Carter campaign headquarters.

Late Saturday afternoon, we headed back to my house on the bus. On our way out, we had the brilliant idea that we should take a bunch of bumper stickers with us, to pass out on the bus.

Really.

We gave out about half of them before we got off the bus.

When we arrived at our stop, there were 3 college students talking near the bus stop, a man and two women. We offered them bumper stickers.

The guy went crazy. He was outraged that we were trying to influence the political process. He snatched the stickers from my hands.

That pissed off the women, who had been sympathetic to his argument until then.

It also made me cry, and it made me truly get how young and powerless I was.

I ran the entire 3.5 blocks back to my house, and breathlessly told my dad what happened.

Did I mention that my dad was a judge at the time?

Dad flew back to the bus stop with us, where, miraculously, all three of the students were still arguing.

My bumper stickers were in the sewer.

I don’t remember anything else about what happened, except that it took a long time with my dad talking to the guy, and my being upset that I didn’t have my own bumper sticker, even. I have no idea what the other girl might have been thinking.

I don’t think that the upsurge in participation in the democratic process means that doesn’t happen any more. (Well, probably no one would now let 2 children walk out of a campaign office with 200 bumper stickers, especially with the intent of distributing them on public transportation.)

But I do think it means that more people have the experience that they, little old them, might be able to make a difference.

And THAT is an amazing feeling. Which I am happy to report I have had in several subsequent elections, even at least 3 where my candidate actually won. (Dad, 1986. Tammy Baldwin, 1998. Mom, 2004.)