Voting Day

**UPDATE** Here's the link to the CNN story.


Yesterday, the U.S. Embassy here in Buenos Aires hosted "Voting Day" for U.S. citizens, who were able to cast their absentee ballots amid patriotic, non-partisan red, white & blue fanfare. Officially, 500 people showed up, but I would put the number even higher. I saw lots of friends and colleagues too.

It was a truly American day: jazz music filled the air, McDonalds food was scarfed, and the Starbucks coffee flowed like wine. Hell, there were even breakfast burritos available, courtesy of my buddy Jordan of California Burrito Co.

I didn't get to indulge in any of the treats, as I was working, not voting. I'm preparing a story for CNN International about Ex-Pat voters in Argentina, and I interviewed several from all walks of (American) life. I also conducted interviews in Spanish that are scheduled to air on CNN en Espanol. It was refreshing to hear so many different opinions and insights; meeting new people and hearing good (and bad) ideas on a daily basis is still the best part of my job.

Before I arrived, I was worried about finding supporters of both candidates at the embassy. In fact, the group was overwhelmingly pro-Obama, but there were McCain supporters there. It's immensely important to me to give both sides the chance to speak their mind, and I think I succeeded.

Photos courtesy of AFP & Charly Diaz Azcue.