Presidential nominations

So today is the official presidential nominations, much like our primaries. But unlike our primaries, they happen just one month before the election. WEIRD, but its not like no one knows who is running. Its basically between Kibaki (the current president) and Raila the ODM and Luo presidential candidate). So because the nominations are today, all night last night some major campaigning was going on. I mean, LOUD, door-to-door visitations spreading the word on Railas platform, and "ODM" chants periodically penetrating my dreams. Music and dancing, and neighborhood parties until the wee hours of the morning, and I I still hear them today.

People are so passionate about politics here, on every corner I hear the sporadic "ODM" word peppering conversations and flyers, billboards and campaign posters everywhere. I asked my good friend Dr Orero what the voting process is like and he explained that the polls open at 6am, and last time he began to line up at 3:45 in the morning and still didn't get to vote until near lunch time. People treat their voter registration card like gold, locking them in a safe so they wont be stolen, and only bringing it out for the big day. How do we get the youth of America to become so passionate and enthralled with the presidential nominations? If there was a line longer than 10 people at the voting polls in American, I guarantee you many will turn around and go home. I am not sure how it happened or why, but I am very impressed with how serious the general population of Kenya views their government and their freedom to vote! We need to adopt some of these behaviors in the West.