On November 4, 2008, my drive to day care with my four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter started off as it generally does. We saw the usual set of things that capture their attention – cars, trucks, buses, and dogs being walked. These sightings sparked the typical set of questions they ask, such as: “Can I buy that car someday?” and “Can I buy a dog when I'm bigger?” But outside a Metro station, while stopped at a red light just before our last turn, we witnessed something we had not seen before. Three young women were chanting and waving Obama/Biden signs. Not surprisingly, this generated a new question: “What are they doing, Daddy?” In answering, I said that it was election day and the women were expressing their support for Barack Obama. Then, as a man and a woman who were walking together approached the three Obama supporters, the man joined in. His partner jumped a few steps into the street and snapped a photo of the group. This activity inspired a fresh line of questioning, first from my son, who asked: “What is the man doing? Why did they take a picture? Is it a party?” Upon hearing the word “party,” my daughter asked hopefully: “Is it my birthday party?” Some confusion from my two-year-old notwithstanding, the excitement on election day was palpable.

If turnout in the United States was ever going to reach new heights, the conventional wisdom was that 2008 was the year for it to happen.