I almost started my entry today with one of my long musings on a subject, specifically, one extolling the virtues of democracy and fulfilling our obligations as good citizens by being good voters. But I decided you deserved something pithier, knowing how many things you have on your mind: like how you will vote.

And if you’ve voted already, you are thinking about how your candidates will fare. If you live in Texas, you are probably wondering whether we’ll have our second elected woman governor and the first woman Lieutenant Governor, who happens to be a Latina. Those of us in Austin are sitting on the edge of our seats wondering about whether our co-Austinites will vote to authorize our first attempt at light rail and how much our taxes will go up as a result. And, I haven’t felt this much anxiety about a race in Kansas since . . . well, never.

So, here’s my short and heartfelt reasons to vote in this election (with thanks to Rene Descartes):

I desire
I aspire
I hope
I dream for fairer tomorrows,
Therefore, I vote

I breathe
I believe
I need
I grieve for our planet,
Therefore, I vote.

I sicken
I fear
I fight
I empathize with other’s plights,
Therefore, I vote

I’m a woman
I’m a mother
I’m a grandmother
I love and am loved,
Therefore, I vote

I think, therefore I vote.
Cogito ergo sum.