A couple of weeks or so ago, over a period of a number of days, a super long line of people would patiently wait (some days in rain and drizzle) to do “something” in a little office just across the street from our apartment.

So I snapped a picture out of curiosity.

Another day or so later, the line was really long so I snapped another picture.  The line that day kept going (to the left in the picture) and around the corner.  So this time, in my beginner Spanish, I walked up to the line and asked what was going on.

I was told they were in line to register to vote.  Wow.  Unbelievable.  They were waiting to get into this little electoral office to sign up to vote.

I’ve since reflected we Americans would never tolerate standing for hours in line to register to vote.  We’ve got it easy.  We have multiple ways to register.  But then lots of us don’t vote.

We have easy democracy.  Maybe too easy.  I don’t know.  But I do know Guatemalans take their voting seriously.