Well here it is, election day 2012, and I'm not going to be able vote. And it's not because the Republicans are preventing me from going to the polls, or that there is some electronic voting machine taking my vote for Barack Obama and routing it to the trash. I have voted in every election since 1979, no matter how local or trivial the election may have seemed, not matter how far ahead in the polls my candidate was, no matter what the weather, it was always a priority. But not this year, in what will be likely be the most important election I am going to witness in my lifetime. Not that this is my choice, but the antiquated and nonsensical absentee voting rules of the great state of New York, coupled with the Democratic Governor's unwillingness or inability to extend the acceptance time for absentee ballots, a disgraceful decision, when you consider that the worst natural disaster since 1938 has befallen the region, are what are going to prevent me from casting my ballot. I am presently working in another state, and had originally planned to drive back to New York to cast my vote in person. But Hurricane Sandy changed those plans. So, I did what any other civic minded citizen would do, and mailed in a request for an absentee ballot, which I dutifully did by the deadline. But here I am, election day, and no absentee ballot has arrived in my mailbox. And apparently, New York will not accept any absentee ballots not postmarked by yesterday. Now, it is totally understandable, considering what has been going on in New York, that my ballot has not arrived. But, you would think, given the situation at hand, there might be some sort of exception to accommodate those that were suddenly unable to return to New York because of this disaster. As it is, New York is woefully behind other states in terms of access to voting. Even places which are hardly known as bastions of progressive thought, like Florida and West Virginia, have early voting. So, here I am, unable to make the 9 hour drive today, and I am being denied my right to vote. And I can't even blame the Republicans.