Tomorrow a good majority of people will be fixed to their television sets as they watch another presidential election unfold before them, after what seems as a semi-eternal campaign season.  What is key for me, is that people of all ages, backgrounds and races exercise their privilege to cast a vote for an issue, a person or a measure.  I also hope that they are cognizant enough to know that the freedom to vote is not universal around the world.  Our founding fathers ensured that we had these rights when they established a democracy in our country and made it a government by the people and for the people.  This guaranteed that everyone was represented and although it took our country a good number of years to recognize everyone, we finally got there.  It is interesting to me when I speak to people that are older who remember how segregated our communities were, based upon what was acceptable in states through out our country.  It was not too long ago, when women did not have equal rights and people of color struggled behind women to be recognized as equivalent.  There are examples across the world, where people risk their lives to vote and to voice their opinions in public, because they are passionate about issues and the world in which they live in.  People have to America as refugees from their home country, who fled political oppression along with a variety of other intolerable conditions.  We are one of the few places in the world where freedom of speech exists and we are able to publicly have an opinion without risking our lives or absorbing some type of retribution for our beliefs.  Because of all of these things, I am proud to live in this country that is still a shining example of democracy and allows its people voices to echo across the lands during the election process.  It is my sincere hope that tomorrow people will proceed with casting their votes and that they remember this prerogative came with a price that a lot of people paid a long time ago.