Voting Blind

I voted.  And I voted "blind" this time.  I was curious about whether I was truly more Republican or Democrat.  Whether I identified with one of them over the other because of other influences: because my parents leaned one way; because my friends leaned one way; because of the media.  So, as I researched each person who ran on my ballot, I covered up the party affiliation.  I read about the actual person.  I went online and checked out their values, their issues, their positions, their education, their qualifications for the job.  

And I voted.  Blind.  For governor.  For state attorney general.  For senators.  For president.  For vice president.  I blackened in those bubbles with permanent ink.  It felt amazing to know I'd chosen people I really, truly thought were right for the job.  

And then I uncovered the party affiliations and tallied them up.  Just to know. Just to see whether I truly leaned one way or the other.  And guess what?  The tally was 6 one side and 8 the other.  Right down the middle.  And that made me think...

What if we could cover up everyone's "affiliation?"  Cover up titles such as, attractive, unattractive, poor, rich, smart, dumb, thin, fat, and other words I do not say?  What if we would mentally blank people out - look at them like a mental silhouette - so we would judge them based on the content of their character?  How would our lives change?  What people would we have as friends that we don't now?  What jobs would we take that we have spurned?  What books would we read, what advice would we take, what clothes would we wear, what labels would we use/reject?

I'm going to try it.  Friending blind.  Choosing blind.  And I'm going to hope people will do that with me.