The University of Virginia has very polite students. I don't work at U.Va. and I'm definitely not a student. Nevertheless, I know that U.Va. has some of the finest young people in the country. It was almost one year ago that I drove one of the "Obama Vans" on Election Day. I picked up scores, perhaps even hundreds, of students and ferried them to the voting location. Each one treated me respectfully and said thank you. I began my route in the morning and didn't stop until the polls closed. A friend brought me lunch. We are both moms with boys at Western Albemarle High School and I was thrilled to tell her about the young people I'd met. I told her of their knowledge about the issues and enthusiasm for the future. We agreed that our boys would be lucky to attend college with such peers.
Election Day is rolling around again. I probably won't be driving a van around the University on Nov. 3 - just my old Subaru. I recently had the opportunity to meet Mr. Deeds. Some of the criticisms about Mr. Deeds are correct. He's not a flashy guy. Actually, he is a bit frumpy. In truth, he looks more like a math professor or an accountant than a politician. That's one of the things I liked about him. He's a real person. I hope the young people who rode in my van last year will come out to vote this year too.
Carolyn O'Neal
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