One of the things I hope we as Democrats can accomplish with our new president and control of both House and Senate is to correct the flaws in our voting procedures. There is no good reason for any American citizen to be inconvenienced by long lines, malfunctioning machines, Tuesday as election day, identity checks, or anything else. It's totally inexcusable that in 2008, our citizenry do not enjoy the most modern, efficient methods available. Please, once and for all, let's fix this.

Then let's do some campaign reform. This one has been way too long, way too expensive, and way too dirty. There is a better way. Let's find it.

I'm volunteering tomorrow as a poll watcher, and have been asked to check the precincts in my area gathering the following data: time, total machines, no. of working machines, how many have voted, how many are in line, how long is the wait? There are eight places I'll be checking at least 3 times each during the day. This is a new experience for me, so it should be interesting.

Then there is a party tomorrow night of mostly Rankin Co. Democrats that I plan to attend and I hope to celebrate several wins, but nothing will affect me as much as Obama's win. I watched his final campaign video urging everyone to vote and it brought tears to my eyes. This moment in history has totally inspired me, and I'm so glad to have been a part of it.

I'm doing this for you, Dear Grandchildren, and I hope one day you understand how sad I am that the last eight years have left this country, her economy, her environment, her morale, and her reputation in such sad condition. Maybe we can correct some of that during the Obama administration. I want you to have the best because I love you. And I love America. We ALL deserve so much better than we have now.

6 PM Update: I just heard on the news that Obama's grandmother died today. How I wish she could have lived to see him elected and inaugurated. Really sad news. Thank you, Mrs. Dunham for giving us Barack. He credits you for so much of what we see in him today. May she rest in peace.