We?Äôre putting the paper to bed (ready to send to the press) before the polls close Tuesday evening, before any election results are in.
The most verve (and, yes, venom) has been about the presidential election. As of this time, that race is totally up in the air. Talk about a nail-biter.
As an aside, when I lived in California, I always resented the pollsters out declaring a winner while the polls on the West coast were still open for hours. That?Äôs kind of like calling a baseball game part-way through. It?Äôs not really over until it?Äôs all over.
The biggest change, starting tomorrow, will be an end to all the political campaign ads. Thanks be to God. Other than that, we may not notice much.
Oh, wait, there?Äôs that one thing: social media is going to calm way down. Again, thanks be to God.
Otherwise, our government will continue to operate as it has. The presidential candidates will probably take a break for awhile. One will quietly prepare to take over leadership of the free world, while the other contemplates his or her future.
One victor or the other, pundits keep reassuring us, government will keep running smoothly. That?Äôs the American way: smooth transition following elections. It?Äôs what separates us from third-world dictatorships.
Perhaps more important to our every-day lives are the local elections. That should go smoothly too, of course. It is the city council and school board that determines how to spend our tax dollars here at home. And this is really important. I only wish more people attended council and board meetings to see our government in action. (But few people want to see how sausage is made either, I get it.)
I pray that our nation, our states, our communities, and our workplaces get back to the every-day business at hand. Let?Äôs not let this divide us, regardless of the election outcomes.
United we stand. Divided we fall. And we can?Äôt afford to fall.