That being said, I'm wicked excited for the election.

Perhaps it is due to the fact I've bought into the whole 'Hope. Change. Obama,' campaign fervor, or that it is finally impossible for Bush to buy himself four more years in office, but this one feels a bit different. The entire country is fed up with feeling like crap all of the time, and everyone knows the best way to shake off those feelings is to make a dramatic change. Some people get a sports car, others pamper themselves with a brand new piercing. But this month (thanks to early voting), nearly every single registered voter in fifty states has begun the process of electing a new leader for our nation.

I am not going to stand on a rotting soapbox and preach about the pros and cons of the candidates, because as previously stated I avoid politics like the bubonic plague and therefore am not well-versed on the nitty gritty specifics of their schpeals, but I have taken my head out of the proverbial sand long enough to notice the essential things I personally need to know to make my choice. And I'm anxious to make it official.

A few issues ago I wrote of superheroes doing citizen work, such as serving on a jury. Voting is another such duty I would love to see masked crusaders participate in. Both scenarios are material for personal and insightful one-shot story ideas, yet they are also fodder for potentially humorous situations. There are many wryly amusing aspects of the initial jury duty process, but they can happen every day. Here lies an opportunity to tell a story which can only be told once every four years.

Why not have a polling place specifically dedicated for superheroes? The doorways must be at least ten feet tall, giving people like the Hulk a chance to walk in rather than smash in. Despite the limited number of people allowed to attend this specific voting site, Cyclops waits for a booth to open up, his legendary stoic patience wearing thin as the line moves like rush hour traffic. His hand itches to reach for his visor and clear the room a bit. Wolverine reminisces about the good old days when he could use his claws to mark the ballot, rather than some pansy-ass special pen and paper. Storm spends thirty minutes in a heated debate with a voting official, arguing that although she is now the queen of a foreign country, she did not relinquish her US citizenship and is therefore eligible to vote. Jean Grey comes back to life long enough to cast her ballot before heading back to her grave to wait for the next election.

Election Day is the chance for citizens to feel like superheroes, and superheroes to feel like citizens. Average folk have a chance to make an indelible mark upon society, and above average folk have the chance to perform a task that everyone can do. A presidential election is the ultimate equalizer, distributing power amongst the masses. The entire world waits with baited breath to see what we do with it.

After the way recent events have been kicking our collective asses, we all need this chance to feel powerful once again, if only for the few seconds it takes to cast our ballots. So get out there and take advantage of the brief moment where we have control of this nation's future. Enjoy the fleeting feeling of authority that comes with having a say in who runs our country.

In just a few short days America is going to change, for better or for worse. Superheroes do not necessarily win every battle, but they at least try to do what they can in order to turn the tide. Be a hero, exercise your power and do what you can by making a choice.

Avril Brown

|