Exercising My Right to Vote Thanks to the Hospital Ombudsman

How a minor comment to a bedside nurse turned into something much bigger.

Susan Poole
4 min readMar 1, 2024
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

I love Election Day!

Whether it’s a presidential election or if only a few local races are on the ballot, I always take great care in familiarizing myself with the candidates and the issues before heading to the polls. A sense of pride washes over me each time I present my identification to the poll worker, sign in to the electronic voting machine, and hit the “Cast Ballot” button once I finish making my selections.

That’s why I’ve never considered early voting. I get a charge out of wearing my “I Voted” sticker on Election Day, hoping it reminds or encourages others to exercise this most basic Constitutional right. (That, plus the fact that years ago, I worked at the County Board of Elections Office, and I remember some controversy over counting provisional and absentee ballots. Those issues have presumably been resolved by now, but I can’t shake the feeling that voting in person on Election Day is the best way to ensure my vote truly counts).

What I don’t love is how unpredictable life can be. I’m an overthinker and like to plan for things well in advance, sometimes to my detriment. And while I try to be flexible in many ways, it doesn’t come…

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Susan Poole

Mother, lawyer, nonprofit executive, breast cancer survivor, and aspiring author. Recently left her day-job to write about topics that she’s passionate about.