Deciding to vote early, my husband and I head out on a sunny, quiet Saturday afternoon with our little one. We’re happy the polling place is uncrowded when we arrive and our baby loves any reason to be in the carrier, observing the world while snuggling his mom.

We’re directed to our respective voting booths, the curtain is closed, and the dance begins. With all my preparation, I neglected to consider the height of the voting machine and the obstruction my son’s head would be to checking off my preferred boxes. I alternate making quarter turns to the left and right as I page through the selections and my son watches the sunlight filtering through the curtain. Can I touch it? he wonders. Yes. Continue reading →