April 10: Absentee voting
by Mie
 It is said that this is the year of unified local elections. Here in Oita, the governor and the members of Oita prefectural assembly will be elected tomorrow. I have kept carefully the election post card sent several days ago.
Unfortunately, I have to visit my parents' home by a ferry boat from this evening to inquire my father. This is why I visited a branch of Oita municipal Office to make an absentee voting. A large banner of the election above the parking lot appeals the date of the election.
The cherry blossoms have already started to fall struck by a strong rainfall since yesterday evening, but they are still beautiful. A campaign car ran through the narrow road under the cherry blossoms shouting the name of a candidate and waving to everybody in sight.
People flock in twos and threes to a absentee voting hut made of pre-fabricated house.
 All the polling booths are already occupied by the voters. An innocent lovely kid, who has no right to vote yet, waits for his mother to fill up the ballot paper.
　
This is the reception. I was asked the reason why I can not vote tomorrow (left.) I filled the format up and made a signature on it. Then I get two envelops (right) which contain a smaller envelop respectively: red envelop for the election of the assembly members and black one is for the governor. The actual ballot paper is carefully put in the smaller envelop.
At the ballot booth, I write just one name of the assembly members and a governer on the ballot paper, then put them into the smaller envelop for sealing. The smaller envelop is again put into the larger envelop on which my name is to be written in pencile. The official observer checks them before marking with his stamp. I put two envelops into the ballot boxes like this (right.)
 Now I have done my duty to the country as a residence of the prefecture. Now I can go aboard to visit my parents without any hesitations.

Everybody let's go to balloting tomorrow without fail.

Mie　Home