I voted today. Just before noon, I took my lunch break and went over to my area election office and cast my ballot in the Texas Primary. Since I handle most of the political coverage for News 10, I plan on being very busy on March 4th, so I figured I'd get my voting out of the way.

I have voted in every state and federal election since I was 18. It's not like I'm keeping score or anything, but I've always felt like I needed to do my civic duty. Over the years I have used paper ballots where you draw arrows to connect the candidate to your vote, old fashioned switches and leavers and today a full electronic voting machine.

As far as I'm concerned, there is something a little off putting about using a computer screen to vote and then getting no receipt or printed record of your vote. I wouldn't even leave a gas station without a receipt for a purchase, so why am I told it is perfectly OK to leave the polling location without some form of paper that confirms that I have voted, and whom I voted for.

The one thing that hasn't changed is the stickers you get when you vote. For the last decade they have always looked the same. I'm not sure who makes them or how much they charge, but that has to be a lucrative business.

If you haven't voted yet, I encourage you to do so.