Regardless who you voted for, thank you for voting.
Washington State is now all mail-in ballots, so voting for me was easy. Not so for many people in other states who had to wait in line for hours just to exercise this essential civic right. Nor was it easy for those still caught in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and who, displaced or homeless or without even a polling place to go to, somehow managed to get in there and cast a ballot. Bless you for your efforts, for your perseverance, and for your example.
While election night in Seattle has lost some of its charm, we do get some immediate payoff during a general election. Washington is always a foregone conclusion on the electoral map, with the counties on the west side of the Cascades bringing enough blue votes to override the staunch red-vote counties from the eastern side. As soon as the polls close here, we’re “called” for the Democrat in the race, and we just have to wait for the swing states to report in.
It didn’t take long, last night. If you blinked (or, as a friend of ours found, if you took a bio-break), you missed it as three swing states toppled one after another in quick succession and the Democrats’ electoral count popped up over the magical 270 mark. By nine o’clock, Pacific time, it was all over but for the speeches.
One hundred twenty million people voted. From our collective ballots, as a people, as a republic, we chose one person to lead our federation. That person may not be the one we chose individually, but that person was chosen by us all.
In the end, I can forget all the strife and stress, I can forget all the robocalls and doorstep canvassers. In the end, it isn’t the race, but the result, as we participate in our democracy, that uplifts me and makes me proud.
In the end, our democratic system will be judged not by the passionate and vituperative rhetoric of our campaigns, but by the grace of our transitions.
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