I woke up early, got dressed, and hopped into the car with the rest of my family.
We drove downtown until we reached a cemetery. Passing underneath the extended ladders of two fire trucks, we entered the area where the city buries its fallen heroes.
We stood next to the graves as the procession began. Forty firefighters marched to the beat of a solemn cadence, played by a lonely drummer in an improvised band.
As the service began, people congregated to listen to the prayers and words of various firefighters honoring their fallen brothers and sisters in the department.
This is my Memorial Day tradition.
Now let me tell another story.
I woke up early, got dressed and hopped into my car alone. I drove five minutes to reach the local elementary school. The parking lot was practically empty, yet campaign signs dotted the school yard.
As I entered the gym, polling workers helped me to obtain a ballot and vote in privacy. At the end of the day, I heard that turnout of registered voters hovered around 40 percent. This is my Election Day tradition.
Every one of us has our own Memorial Day tradition. This past Monday, we relaxed with family, attended church services or watched the annual parade roll down Main Street.
Wherever we were, we took a moment to stop and honor the men and women who serve and who have perished in our armed forces and police and fire departments. We thanked them for our life, liberty and happiness - not to mention our day off.
Unfortunately, Election Day doesn't garner the same respect. In the 2004 presidential election, only 63.8 percent of the population voted, according to the Census Department.
And the number drops dramatically when presidential candidates are not on the ballot.
People get busy, people forget or people don't care. Whatever their reasons, large portions of the United States fail to vote.
To me, however, voting is the most tangible way to honor our troops, policemen and firemen.
Every day, these people lay their lives on the line in order to protect our society and the things it stands for. Honoring them with a parade or moment of prayer is nice, but actually participating in what they protect is better.
We can write letters to our troops (think of the "A Million Thanks" campaign). We can send care packages in the mail or participate in the annual police department fundraiser. Still, voting remains the top honor.
A Philadelphia Inquirer article yesterday mentioned instituting a mail-in voting system to remedy Pennsylvania's "anemic voter turnout."
The system essentially acts in the same way as do absentee ballots; however, the voter doesn't need to be out of town, in the military or disabled to use it.
The results in Oregon, where the system is in use, have been fantastic. State Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Philadelphia) "wants to start the conversation" about raising voter turnout, according to the article.
Although many people forget to vote, some may have good excuses for not making it to the polls, and a mail-in voter system may be exactly what Pennsylvania needs to encourage more votes.
Making voting easier should be a top priority for state lawmakers, and Rep. Josephs deserves credit for bringing up the topic.
Additionally, unlike other reforms (such as Election Day voter registration), mail-in voting works the same way as the current absentee system, playing down fears of fraud and corruption.
Pennsylvania, along with every other state, has a responsibility to honor our troops and our citizens. Instating a mail-in voting system may be a perfect way to fulfill that responsibility.
If we truly want to honor the troops who have worked to protect our freedom, let's make exercising that freedom as accessible as possible.
Dan Brickley is a College sophomore from Waterford, Mi. His e-mail address is brickley@dailypennsylvanian.com.
