Who are the people who go to the polls to vote on primary election day? All those who answer this question with something like “people who need to get a life” are my kind of people. The last time a peer of mine voted on primary election day, it took me most of the day to realize it was an election day, which explains why she was wearing a little red, white and blue badge proudly declaring “I voted today.” What the heck, and as I said, she needs to get a life!

Now just because I think my peer needs to “get a life” does not mean I need to be rude and unsociable. As I worked to justify my failure to appear at the voting booth, I said something about there being no need for my vote because most people in my community think the same about the issues—at least I think most agree. My patriotic primary election voting peer smiled and asked, “Is your community going where nobody wants it to go?” As I said, she needs to get a life!

Before I am able to exit the room, she catches my attention with a story. She tells me about two couples who take a trip to Abilene from Coleman, Texas and back in an old car with no air conditioning, in brutal heat, to get something to eat at a diner where nobody wanted to go, but they all took the trip anyway. Her point was the two couples agreed to go where nobody wanted to go. Now remember, I am trying to be nice, but as I asked her to explain why, I could not help thinking to myself, woman, you really need to get a life.

“Why,” she said—“because the group failed to recognize their own agreement that nobody wants to go to Abilene.” Okay, so what does your Abilene story have to do with you choosing to vote on primary election day? I knew I had her on the ropes—and boy, she needs to get a life.

“People do not vote on primary election day because it is a pain to vote and there is no motivation.” She goes on to say, “Most people believe things are fine in the community; or that pending issues of the day are no big deal, or what is happening will happen anyway.” Now she is talking my language. Then she adds, “It seems like there are times when people in my community go where nobody wants to go or they get what nobody wants to get because they think there is general agreement on where the community is going or what the community is getting.” She adds; “I vote on primary election day because I do not want to take a trip to Abilene. I want to do something as opposed to hoping everything will workout in the end.”

Hey, at this point, I am not sure if I am buying what she is selling and besides, that red, white and blue badge is bugging the heck out of me. It is time to move on and one thing is for sure—one of us needs to get a life.