Kevin Coriolan | Staff Writer

Every four years, one Tuesday in November is marked as an important day. A day to speak. A day to choose. A day that impacts the United States for another four years. I missed that day.

Yes I did vote, just differently than many other American citizens. My first presidential vote was sent to a Minnesotan city hall by snail mail in an absentee ballot. The reason for this voting method was that I’m studying abroad (which I recommend greatly to Buena Vista students or any undergraduates) at the University of Ghana this semester.

After the papers were emailed to me by the City Hall, I simply printed them out and filled in my information. I mailed my ballot from the University post office weeks before Election Day because that’s how long it would take to reach my state, and clearly the ballot needed to be counted no later than Nov. 6. So I had finished my civic task, but the true event had not occurred yet

Fast-forward to Election Day, West African acquaintances of mine asked about my projections and told me theirs. As I stay with Americans and other foreign students in the International Students’ Hostel, there was a concentrated following of the elections. If the college students weren’t in class, they were discussing the elections.

Attention increased a great deal in the late evening as American polling stations began to close. However, due to the five-hour time difference Eastern Time and obligations I had the following morning, I chose to wake up periodically through the night to update myself through the web. Also, my Ghanaian roommate’s radio recited the on-goings of the special BBC program America Speaks. There was no difficulty in me staying informed.

In fact, the big surprise Tuesday night was that the nation was so enthralled by the polls. The nation of Ghana that is. Speaking to locals, I’ve learned that Ghanaians have continually developed an interest in American politics after earning their own independence in 1959. Fifty years later, the election of Barack Obama as the first black president furthered the attention. Seeing a distant kinsman in high office brings pride to African hearts.

I’m proud of the voter turnout this year in my country, and I would have liked to witness it myself. To really experience an American Election Day as a registered voter, I’m going to have to wait four more years.

Graphic by Krystal Schulte