Woo!
I was thinking we could all take our post-election vigor and channel it into helping folks still effected by Sandy-- especially with the incoming nor'easter. Here in RI, you can donate food, clothing and household items to The Jonnycake Center. They are doing an amazing job of distributing goods to those who need them in Southern RI. And for NY/NJ, check out this Amazon Registry list set up by Occupy Sandy. You can shop for goods that will get shipped directly to volunteers helping with the recovery. Pretty genius.
Edit: My friend Sarah pointed out that it would also be helpful to donate goods specifically for people with food allergies. (This should have been obvious to me as I can't eat gluten!) She pointed me towards this post on Allergy Girl blog. It has a ton of info and resource information. Thanks Sarah!
Note: I know Red Cross is an obvious choice for donations and I certainly wouldn't dissuade anyone from giving their dollars to them. But the general consensus on the ground is that local organizations are the ones moving quickly and being the most effective.
Just got back from voting. Our district uses a paper ballot, completing the arrow with a magic marker. It was a little weird to me, but maybe that's just because I'm used to the huge, hulking machines with the switches and the big lever to pull across. I like that lever. Clunk. It feels more official than magic markering in a line.