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Whatever the result, Tuesday was triumph for our democracy
For the second presidential election in a row, Americans woke up Wednesday (Nov. 3) to
uncertainty about who will lead the country during the next four years.
That last election came down to Florida, and this year's winner will be determined by Ohio. Whatever the result, it's clear from Tuesday's high turnout that Americans care deeply about the future of their nation; otherwise, they would not be willing to stand in long lines to make their voices heard.
Polls in many states remained open long after scheduled closing times to allow all voters who were in line to cast their ballots.
Locally, Sylva South precinct, which votes at the Community Service Center, didn't report in until 10 p.m. as poll workers accommodated everyone who was present at 7:30 p.m. Jackson County voters mirrored those across the nation, with lines forming when polling places opened their doors at 6:30 a.m. and remaining long throughout the day, particulary at the Community Service Center.
Kids were encouraged to get involved in the political process this year through the efforts of Kids Voting, coordinated in local schools by Cindy Thompson, Roy Douthitt and Dave Baker. Children who accompanied their parents to the polls were given an opportunity to mark their own ballots in an attempt to instill civic responsibility at an early age. The Kids Voting program has also proven an effective tool in increasing adult turnout, although it's too early to tell whether the kids' initiative played any part in Jackson County's longer voting lines.
While the official numbers aren't in, one early figure suggests that about 15 million more people voted Tuesday than four years ago. Every American should be proud of the commitment and resolve that increased citizen participation in this year's democratic process. Mixed results and unclear winners are only possible in a country that believes in free elections and the right of every citizen to participate in them.
Split outcomes are nothing new in North Carolina. Once again, the Tar Heel State proved its bipartisanship (or maybe its split personality), sending Republicans to Washington while electing a Democratic governor and Council of State and presenting its electoral votes to President Bush.
At the risk of sounding trite, we have to say that, today, all of us are winners. Our favorite candidate may have lost, but we all survive to campaign another day. That's a fact we often take for granted in this country, but it's a concept that's far from universal and unheard of in many dictatorships.
Once again, the people have spoken; once again, the winner is our democratic system.
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