To counteract the negativity that has infected the current political campaign season, when you are facing long lines to vote, you should strive to achieve a state of loving kindness and equanimity, and deal with Election Day problems with humor and grace. Robert Cialdini, a psychology professor at Arizona State University who studies group behavior, says, "A long line to vote creates the sense that everyone is “all one here, united under the common identity. Inside the boundaries of ‘we,’ people treat each other well.” So actively seek to promote an energy of "we", in a culture that emphasizes "me, me, me..."

Here are some suggestions for voting day:

• If you should see someone seeking a parking space near a polling station, help them find an available spot.
• If it rains, share your umbrella with a stranger.
• If standing in a line, ask the people next to you to share what they love best about America.
• If the lines are really long, bring a couple of folding chairs and offer to share one with your neighbor.
• If it's chilly, bring a thermos of coffee, tea or soup. Or bring snacks and make it a tailgate party.
• If it's really chilly, bring some hand warmers and share.
• Even better, gather some pals and make it a Voting Party.

And if some hostile bipolar Tea Party type comes and starts yelling at you, just say, "I disagree strongly with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Oh, by the way, some French guy named Voltaire said that."

Make it your spiritual practice for the day to create a mood of tolerance, openness and positive energy. Especially if the wait grows long and tempers flare up, plan to be the center of peace in the center of it all, and allow those waves of peace to radiate outward. Good luck to us, we'll need it!