When I see a check mark, I think positive. This indicates something I’ve chosen. Something correct. A check indicates that something applies to me. This symbol is clear.  An X is equally as clear. An X indicates error, omission or perhaps the item marked with an X is not applicable. This way of thinking, I’m learning, is because I grew up in the United States which has a “check is a positive/x is a negative symbol” culture.

In Guatemala, it is an election year and with every election year comes election-year propaganda. The politicians here, like in the US, have great ideas on just how you should vote. Which candidate. Which party.

While driving down the road, Maureen and I noticed that many of the political posters had an X marked over the political party logo. “This had to be the work of a very diligent vandal”, we thought. But as we saw more and more x’d signs, we realized that the x’s were uniform and not done haphazardly with a Sharpie Marker. “Perhaps, the classic negative campaigning of the US had filtered into Central America?!”

How wrong we were. The simple answer is that when a Guatemalan goes in to vote, they mark an X over the party logo of their candidate. During an election year, a Guatemalan X is a North American check mark.