Being liberal has been an important part of my identity since I was a teenager. I have always voted for Democrats. To be honest, I'm pretty unenthusiastic about most Democratic politicians, but I generally like the party's platform.
Virginia, where I currently live, is one of the Super Tuesday states. It is also a state that allows you to choose which party's ballot you request during the primaries. I decided to vote early on Saturday, since our early voting location is close to the farmers market I usually visit. I will confess that I don't always vote in the primaries. When I've lived in other states, the primaries have often been all but decided before I even get a chance to vote. Really, one could make a very strong case that this is true in this election as well.
And this is where it comes down to my first time voting for a Republican. I didn't feel that there was any point in voting in the Democratic primaries because we don't have a real choice (and no, I don't count Dean Phillips as an actual choice). There doesn't appear to really be a choice for the Republicans, either, but the idea of another Trump presidency so horrifies me that I felt compelled to try. I voted for Nikki Haley, a politician with whom I have little to no common ground, but who I don't think is actively trying to destroy our democracy.
The funny part for me was having to actually request the Republican ballot from the election workers. Apparently, I was very afraid of what people I don't know, and whose political leanings I don't know, thought of me. When they asked which ballot I wanted, I said "I'll take the Republican ballot this time," hoping they would read between the lines and realize my true party affiliation.
And that's my story of expanding my horizons in a way that I never thought I would.
