We are experiencing a torrential downpour here in California. After years of drought, we are getting much needed rain in spades—and of all days, on this midterm Election Day.

Governor Gavin Newsom and California Democrats are openly gleeful, as they feel this will depress turnout. They’re not wrong. Southern Californians in particular do not do weather. People will cancel long established medical appointments simply because they do not wish to drive in the rain. But I am encouraging my fellow Californians to NOT skip this appointment at your voting center. We still have a few more hours here on the West Coast to make our voices heard.

Since this storm was forecast several days ago, I suspect some already planned ahead for this contingency. Everyone in California was mailed a ballot, so we have had the option for many weeks to cast our vote without walking into a polling location on Election Day.

But voting in person on Election Day has always been my tradition, and one ridiculous governor who loves to make cheating easy has not changed that. I will continue to do so as long as I am physically able. It’s a personal point of allegiance to those who fought, bled, and died so I could have that right as a citizen of the United States.

I rose early this AM, dug out a rain jacket, and ventured to my local polling place to vote in a building appropriately named Freedom Hall, within a local Orange County park. I’ve voted in worse places. There was lots of room, lots of parking, and lots of friendly poll workers.

Orange County only does paper ballots (no machines), and the paper ballots are now large sheets, as opposed to tiny punch cards; so, it took a while to fill in the squares. I’m all right with that. Something as significant as casting a vote should be done thoughtfully, and should be given time.

More people started to arrive as I was about to leave, showing that the committed will always take it seriously, and not miss their opportunity. There have been moments of cessation of the downpour throughout the day, so I am holding out hope that California will render some surprises. To get metaphysical along with my usual analytical, I see this driving rain as a driving out of the old guard, in order to prepare the way for new things in this state. Call it a cleansing, if you will. The coming days will tell us just how much.

Stay tuned to RedState this evening for coverage on the state races. Our Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar will closely watch L.A. County, especially the Los Angeles Mayor’s race between Rep. Karen Bass (D) and businessman Rick Caruso (also a D), which the pollsters are prognosticating as too close to call. I will be focused on the Orange curtain, especially the races between Rep. Katie Porter (D) and Scott Baugh (R) (CA-47) here in the county. I’ll also be peeking under the hood in Northwest L.A. for the CA-27 race between Rep. Mike Garcia (R) and Christy Smith (D).

Team RedState’s Live Election coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, so you can find me and all your favorite contributors giving analysis and parsing the results in real time.

Bring your popcorn, I think it’s going to be a good night.

My thoughts, pardon the lack of polish:

WATCH:

And come join us for the Live Coverage! (much more polish on this one):