I Hope

Here in everybody's hometown things are looking hopeful.

My GOTV gruntwork volunteering leads me to view tomorrow's election through expanding concentric circles. Media's south precinct looks very good. Thus the borough of Media looks good. Thus I'm hopeful about Delco and, more widely, the four counties of Philly's western suburbs. This makes me hopeful about Pennsylvania — a key swing state. This, in turn, gives me hope for all the swing states and, if that's the case, the entire election.

Ground-level, here in Media South, I have no way of knowing if this is accurate. But I read things and hear things from others doing similar work from the centers of their particular electoral bullseyes. People in Cleveland and Miami and Madison, Wisc., seem to share this cautious optimism. Maybe we've just all been working so hard that we can't see beyond our own efforts — we'll find out tomorrow night.

In the meantime, Josh Marshall relays this report from Florida — where some 30 percent of registered voters have already cast their ballots and Kerry has opened a wide lead. This gives me hope — and not just hope for tomorrow's election:

My job is to get people to the polls and, more importantly, to keep them there. Because they're crazily jammed. Crazily. No one expected this turnout. For me, it's been a deeply humbling, deeply gratifying experience. At today's early vote in the College Hill district of East Tampa — a heavily democratic, 90-percent African-American community — we had 879 voters wait an average of five hours to cast their vote. People were there until four hours after they closed (as long as they're in line by 5, they can vote).

Here's what was so moving:

We hardly lost anyone. People stood outside for an hour, in the blazing sun, then inside for another four hours as the line snaked around the library, slowly inching forward. It made Disneyland look like speed-walking. Some waited 6 hours. To cast one vote. And EVERYBODY felt that it was crucial, that their vote was important, and that they were important.

And there were tons of first time voters. Tons.

Aside from some hassles from the Republican election commissioner … I actually had an amazing experience. No, actually, in a way because of that I had an amazing experience. Because these people know that the system that's in place doesn't want them voting. And yet they are determined to vote.

The best of all was an 80 year old African American man who said to me: "When I first started I wasn't even allowed to vote. Then, when I did, they was trying to intimidate me. But now I see all these folks here to make sure that my vote counts. This is the first time in my life that I feel like when I cast my vote it's actually gonna be heard."

To see people coming out — elderly, disabled, blind, poor; people who have to hitch rides, take buses, etc. — and then staying in line for hours and hours and hours … Well, it's humbling. And it's awesome. And it's kind of beautiful.

Sometimes you forget what America is.

I think there's hope.