Today I am sitting in my office which also happens to be in the building where I and my neighbors vote. It is not yet 8:00 AM and already there have been lines to get in the door.
I have no idea who will win which races today. Who but God does. But I am awed by the miraculous nature of our election process. Think about it – in all of our nation’s history, no one has taken power through a violent revolution. No one has come to be the President because he showed up at the White House with his army. Even in the midst of the American Civil War, people voted. When the armies of the North and South battled for their causes the ballot box triumphed because it was open.
Is our system perfect? Nothing near. Are there real divisions about what best serves our country’s interests? Yes. (Although the differences among our leaders and parties are so very slight compared to the breadth of political perspectives in other places.). There will be questions in the days to come – count on it. There will be court challenges to processes and procedures and even results.
But today, the majority of Americans who will vote drive or walk to a polling place to cast their ballots. They will participate in what is one of our civic sacraments in America. Whoever wins each and every race today will be the right person because the American people chose her or him to represent and serve. Perhaps that matters more than who wins?
