If you thought this was going to be about the U.S. presidential election, you’re going to be disappointed. Although I did talk to two of Nader’s Corporate Crimebusters yesterday. But this is about a much more important election….

President/Vice President of Merritt Elementary School!

Pretty much the whole fifth grade was on the ballot for the primary election. After careful voting by third, fourth and fifth graders two candidates were chosen and their running mates. Both presidential candidates are male and their vice-president candidates are female. And one of those live in my house.

Autumn is running for vice-president and so is one of her best friends. I hear tell the opposition is promising to bring pop machines to the school and I can’t help but label that as a political campaign promise that won’t be kept. If it were only so easy to identify promises not kept in the national elections….

But I digress.

Last night I noticed that there was a light on in the girls’ bedroom after they were supposed to be in bed sleeping. Rather than yell upstairs, I creeped upstairs and caught them scurrying back into bed. The stairs, alas, are NOT creak free and the kids are getting older. Still I saw Amanda jump into her bed and they didn’t have time to turn off the lights. Amanda immediately pretended to be asleep.

Turns out Maxine and Amanda were up and busy working making campaign signs. How sweet I thought as I drew nearer only to read “Vote for Kyle.”

I double checked, but I’m pretty sure k-y-l-e doesn’t spell Adam, which is Autumn’s running mate. They were making poster for the opposition! Not to mention they were doing it after bedtime.

I confiscated all the posters and let them know they would not be taking them to school because they were made illicitely. (spelling optional, remember?) I also mentioned I was extremely disappointed they weren’t supporting their sister. Family bond remember? Blood is thicker than water. All that stuff.

The next morning (this morning) I got onto my computer and quickly designed and printed out several posters saying things like “Vote for Adam and Autumn.” My husband expressed surprise that I make a living as a writer after reading my campaign slogan “Sure Would vote for Adam Frey and Autumn Sherwood!”

“Did you get it, Dad?” Autumn asked him. “I wonder if Adam will get it? Mom, I bet you got that idea from your pen!” (The pen being the great one that I got from Sheri ‘Little Life’ Guyse.)

OK, so Amanda wandered in and apologized for staying up past bedtime to make signs for the opposition. I clarified that she could vote for whoever she wanted to vote, but publically she’d support her sister. Maxine wanted to know if that meant she should make signs for Autumn. I said she didn’t have to make signs for her, but that she won’t be making signs for the other side.

Justin brought out the sign he had made. In huge kindergarten-written letters it is a plain pencil sign on lined paper and says in huge letters on two lines something like:

VOTE FORADA
MANDAUTUMN!

Because kindergartners don’t have a lot of experience making posters and to him it’s perfectly OK to break words and run them together like that. Works for me. He’s going to hang it up in his classroom.

Amanda explained that everyone in the entire school says their going to vote for Adam and she’s worried Kyle won’t get any votes. I told her that you never know the outcome of an election until the votes are counted and people can say whatever they want and then do something completely different.

I’m a bit leary about this whole school election thing. Yes, it’s a good lesson in government and such, but also this is a small school and I hope this doesn’t cause any problems long-term.

And in totally unrelated news, I bought all the ingredients to make the “better than sex” cake that I read about in Shirley Jump’s book, The Bride wore Chocolate. Now I just need time.

And I can’t help but wondering if the Nader guys decided to show up and picket the Wal-mart grand opening this morning.