We won the battle...but the war rages on

I copied this entry from my brother, "pianoman's" blog. I hope he doesn't mind. I'm just so darn proud of all that he and his wife, and also my cousin, have done to help pass proposition 8 in California. I wanted this recorded in my "journal" too.

November 4, Election Day: I woke up before the alarm went off. I didn't sleep much. Weeks and weeks of phone calls, door-knocking, sign-posting and re-posting, blogging, Facebook-ing--and of course--praying, all pointed to this moment.

7:00 am. The polls open.

8:00 am. Our zip code coordinator comes by our house to deliver my poll-watching assignment.

9:00 am. I visit two different precincts trying to find where VD and I are registered to vote (recently moved after registering).

10:00 am. Empty ballot in hand, I walk solemnly to my private voting booth. Everyone in line conveys a similar attitude of reverence and respect for the privilege of taking part in the government of our people. I open the ballot to the Propositions page...there it is! I carefully square the ink-puncher over the "yes" on the eighth proposition. Albeit less grandiose an act, I cannot help thinking of Moroni raising the Title of Liberty: "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (emphasis added). I return my completed ballot. Little me, one out of nine million California voters who will hover their ink-puncher over the "yes" or the "no" spot. But I know my voice is heard, and I know where I stand. That's what voting is all about.

11:00 am. My poll-watching is well underway. I have three different precinct lists of registered voters who told us previously their intention to vote "yes" on 8. I compare my lists with the publicly-released street indexes of persons who have already voted. Each time I cross out a name, it's almost like punching another "yes" on the ballot.

12:00 noon. I report in to headquarters to provide the results of my most recently updated lists. (I still get a little choked up every time I think about what I saw.) There in the warehouse of Interstate Batteries were rows of tables lined with people in all the chairs, people my age, my parents' age, my grandparents' age, with cell phones in hand, lists of persons being called. Power strips for chargers, laptops and printers for up-to-date info, food and water bottles for the masses...Everything about the setup evoked images of a mobilized army, ready at a moment's notice to heed the call of the commanding officer.

1:00 pm. Phone calls take a priority over poll-watching from now until 4:00 pm. So, I grab a stack of names and start dialing. I speak with one woman who says she doesn't understand English. "¿Puedo hablar con Usted en español, entonces?" I talk with her about Prop 8. She says she still hasn't decided which way to vote. My heart racing--much like a young soldier in battle--I immediately wield my sword... I translate my prescripted thoughts into Spanish. By the end of the conversation she says, "Yes, I will vote 'yes' on 8." I hang up to a couple of cheers from neighboring callers who had witnessed my transition from English to Spanish to a yes vote. And so the day goes on. As I am preparing to dial a new number, I overhear the woman behind me: "I am a school teacher. I, and most of my friends are voting 'yes' on 8. Don't believe those TV ads..." When she hangs up, she crosses off the name, adding another 'yes' to the final count. We cheer the school teacher on.

4:00 - 7:50 pm. The pace accelerates. Amid my frequent trips from poll-watching locations to headquarters, the full-time callers move into the final phase: no more leaving messages on voice mail, only targeted calls to "high yield" areas (demographics where a "yes" vote would be most likely.) Joined by VD for the final stretch, we make calls and look forward to crossing the finish line together.

8:00 pm. The army disbands. The tables and chairs are put up, and we all return to our homes.

Every ten minutes for the next 12 hours. We watch as the numbers trickle in. VD sees the first results: "We're winning!" Those are perhaps the best words chosen to describe this ongoing fight. I wish there were a way we could triumphantly declare: "We won!" But deep down, each of us knows the war is far from over. I'm pleased to see the results of our efforts. I'm honored beyond measure to ever be part of such an army, defending truth and virtue. The days and years that lie ahead will surely present greater challenges still. But I take courage in VD's simple expression: "We're winning." May it ever be so.