Although I swore I’d never work as a Team Lead, they know me too well. Because of the precise nature of elections, I guess they understand that I’ll make sure that all the rules are followed, the ts crossed, and the is dotted. And yes, I’ve had a run-in or two with would-be creative voters. I could probably write a book.
Those days are long, with the shortest being about 12 hours, and the longest about 14.5 hours. Fortunately, this time, my location had a few days off, but generally, Early Voting is 14 straight days of pre-Election Day chaos. And the following Tuesday is Election Day. And it’s pure madness!
I don’t have any photos of our election site because it’s not permitted, but I can talk wines!
I have this belief that you can pair just about anything with wine, and I feel that Elections are no different.
The hardest part of choosing a suitable wine is the fact that I’m non-partisan. I’m not married to any party and tend to research extensively before voting. Which means my ballot glows in different party colors as I choose those who seem most suited, because I’m not impressed by personalities or party affiliations.
This past Primary season meant that I didn’t have a say in party-related elections. Only the non-partisan ones, which consisted primarily of judges and justices of the peace. And that’s okay. In November, I’ll vote for those whom I feel are suitable, those whom their party faithful have chosen. Or not. “None of These Candidates” (aka “None of the Above”) is an actual choice on the Nevada ballot. I’ve used it in the past.
If I had to have an opinion on the wine choices of the major parties, I’d say that Democrats prefer Pinot Grigio, and Republicans prefer beer. Not wine, but what else is gonna pair with smoked ribs and brisket? Libertarians probably prefer Chardonnay, and the Green Party probably has a love for Matcha. Or maybe oat milk.
Anyway, after all of those days, I was beat. Although I had a glass of wine when I got home from Election Day, about 10:00 pm – the day had started at 5:30 am, not counting waking up time – I could barely enjoy the beautiful 2022 House of Brown Rosé.
I slept most of the day on Wednesday, and then enjoyed a 2021 Riverbench Pinot Noir, Pommard Clone with dinner. Yeah, I know. Riverbench is always wonderful. And in my opinion, Pinot Noir is always the answer.
I couldn’t exactly “pair” a wine with voting since that’s illegal, and I’ve heard they don’t serve wine behind bars.
No Bueno.
The Future
Although the midterms are coming up in November, too many people decide that they’re not important enough to bother. 
People would be wrong.
Vote on November 3. Yes, it’s a season and a half away, but every voice counts, and it’s never too soon to nag. Make sure that your vote, your voice, count. And if your candidate(s) win, open up a bottle of something great. And if your candidate(s) don’t win, open up a great bottle anyway. You did your duty.
