You Know You Live in a Swing State if...

• You receive political postcards... lots and lots of postcards.
  
• You receive personalized emails from candidates.
  
• You get invited to nearby rallies... at least weekly, maybe more.
  
• You receive emails from candidates' wives.
  
• You watch negative, political commercials attacking each other over, and over, and over again.
  
• You listen to radio ads going back and forth between candidates every 15-30 seconds.
  
• You get asked daily to VOTE early. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE.
  
• You receive multiple emails a day from people supporting candidates... and you are SO sick of getting emails, even if it's from the candidate you like.
  
• You get to meet candidates who are visiting your teeny tiny town square.
  
• You willingly volunteer to be a telemarketer for 20 minutes... but it's OK because it lands you VIP seats at the rally!
  
• You get to shake your favorite candidates hand... twice. And meet his wife. And his kids. And his grandkids.
  
• You'd rather not ever hear the phrase "and I support this message" ...ever again.
  
• You listen to your iPod instead of the radio.
  
• You stop checking your email and just click delete, delete, delete.
  
• You mute the TV during commercials.
  
• You hear a knock on your door... it's a woman with a clipboard. 

This was the climax of living in a swing state this election. A lady stood on my doorstep and in a way too perky, high pitched voice, asked me who I'm going to vote for (not IF, but WHO)... while feeling slightly uncomfortable, I was polite and replied. She then looked at me in shock, her jaw dropped, and she said, "But you're young! And female! That doesn't make any sense!" While feeling genuinely offended I just stared at her blankly. I was silent and completely tuned her out as she blabbed on and on about some random facts, trying to convince me to change my mind.

Looking back, I wish I would have said something different - I wish I would have stuck up for myself instead of kindly informing her that she was wasting her time and I would never change my vote.

But seriously... how does being "young and female" have anything to do with my choice of candidate? How is that any different than saying, "you're black and poor, you must be voting for Obama"? Advice to campaigners: You just don't say things like that to people. It's a sure way to make them hate you and ignore everything you're saying. Stereotyping in any form is not OK. All I'm going to say is they are lucky Chris was in the kitchen and didn't hear her comments... he wouldn't have been so kind and patient (and might have used several expletives to get her off our porch, haha).

Ugh... with all the harassment we endure, swing state voters should get to celebrate election day as a holiday!

All I have to say is... I love America. Go Vote, Ohio! And make me proud to be a buckeye!