Today, Americans from Alaska to Wyoming and everywhere in between will be casting their ballot to determine who will lead our nation as President for the next four years. And while members of each party are working overtime to make sure that their candidate heads to the White House – I am proud to say that I have done my part for my candidate since the moment I woke up this morning.

After getting dressed and putting my “John Kerry For President” pin on my suit jacket, I headed to Public School 222 on Quentin Road and East 33rd Street to cast my vote for John Kerry. After casting my vote, I headed to work and made sure I walked into every office and asked who my fellow colleagues were going to vote for today. While I did encounter a few people who told me they were voting for Bush, I am proud to say that my friend Peter said that he not only was voting for John Kerry – but registered to vote because of me harping him about it. And my friend Barbara told me that she was going to vote for George W. Bush – until she watched Fahrenheit 9/11, which I lent her last night when she drove me home from work.

Seeing how the movie affected her, I brought my laptop and the DVD of Fahrenheit 9/11 into the company lunchroom and played it for six more of my colleagues at lunchtime today. Instead of watching the film, which I have watched at least a dozen times, I watched the faces of my friends, who looked more shocked as each frame of the movie was played. Many of them said that they did not know any of what was mentioned in the film, as I didn’t until I saw the film. After our lunch hour was over, I had to stop the movie even though there was still about a half hour to go. When the screening was over, I asked them if seeing the movie had changed their minds about who they are going to vote for – and I am proud to say that a few of them said yes.

If I was still a City employee, I would have been off today, as Election Day is a Municipal Holiday. If I was off today, I would have spent today traveling to as many places I could to spread John Kerry’s message of a fresh start for America. I would have stood outside polling places and told those entering to vote for the Kerry/Edwards team. I would have went to JohnKerry.com and volunteered to help at a John Kerry Election Day event. I would have called all of my friends across the country and asked them to vote for John Kerry – and I would have stood proudly at a local John Kerry victory party and joined millions of Kerry/Edwards supporters in cheering on our next President of the United States.

According to early figures, more people have registered to vote in this election than at any other time in history, and voter turnout so far today has been overwhelming – creating lines that literally circle the block around polling places. I think those two statistics can be attributed to the fact that President Bush not only stole the election in 2000 – but lied to us from the day he was sworn in. And I think that after enduring four years of a President who has used us, stolen from us – and hidden the truth from us – the American people decided that it was time for a change – and that change is John Kerry.

I have been involved in elections in the past. I was at New York State Governor George Pataki’s victory party when he was first elected in 1994, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s victory party when he was re-elected in 1997 – but I have never been so interested, involved or concerned about any election as I am about this one. Each and every election in America’s history and in years to come will re-shape our great nation – but no election before this one and probably years after this election will be as important to the future of America and its citizens. Since September 11th, President Bush has turned the world against us at a time when we needed them the most. He has sent thousands of our troops to die for a senseless “war” that has left blood on his hands while putting oil money in his pocket. He has used his position and influence to award no-bid contracts to his family and friends, while remaining “not really concerned” about Osama Bin Laden. He has used “the war on terror” as a façade to invade a country and take over their oil fields, while leaving our soldiers and Iraqi citizens to fend for themselves – and worst of all – he has the audacity to ask us to give him another four years in the White House to continue his crusade of lies and selfishness.

Send him and his administration a message today by sending George W. Bush home and sending John Kerry to the White House.

The polls close here in New York in five hours and on the West Coast at Midnight Eastern Standard Time. Until a Projected Winner is declared tonight, my eyes will be glued to the television to see who will be leading our Nation for the next four years…

…and if I have my way – it will be John Kerry.