Phew. I was beginning to get quite elitist in thinking that "real" America was just a bunch of morons.

Such a process is difficult to explain to 5 year olds. To give perspective to the situation, we settled on a book that's been in our collection for a while...Duck for President. It's by the same author as Click Clack Moo. Long story short, the Duck ousts the Farmer, then moves up the civic ladder--seeking easier jobs-- finally winning the Presidency. In the end, Duck bails on the Presidency and goes back to his work on the farm. On election day, we tried to explain the voting process. Jarrod broke it down real quick: You're voting for the Donkey or the Elephant. Which one?

Long Pause...

Max: The Donkey.

Mom: Yesssss. That is correct.

Later in the car, Beck informed me that they will vote for the Donkey now, but when he's a grown up he's voting for the Duck. Max put in his vote for the Cow.