Vote. Go vote. OK. I’ll do that. But wait… how do you vote? Whispering… I have never voted. When I arrived at voting age, last century, my voting responsibility didn’t register. I think I went through college years completely oblivious. Then I married Mr. No Excuse. He assumed the voting task, studied the candidates, their platforms, their backgrounds and measured these against God’s Word. He marked our ballots, or sample ballots, and drove us to the polling places where I dutifully transferred the marks to an official ballot, having no idea whatsoever of my choices. Later when mail-in ballots became the mode, I upped my part. I put them on his desk. Essentially he had two votes, and why not? It didn’t make sense to vote against each other. I willingly, no gratefully, deferred.

I have never voted.

Until now. I feel like a beginner in so many ways. But as a voter, I feel like the beginnerest. There’s a Voter Information Guide! There’s a Party Guide! There are Candidate Guides, because I’m suppose to vote based on more than her winning smile and cute outfit. Where’s the Beginners Guide? Maybe this 60something voter doesn’t qualify for this guide.

So I podcasted, I Internetted, I radioed. I asked a couple of experienced voters. I read directions. Then, I marked, signed and dropped my vote in the box. Done.

Someday I might become an intermediate voter and then an advanced voter. For now, at 60+, I am a beginner voter.