Today is Election Day 2024. Today we have the opportunity to do something that only happens once every four years – cast our vote for President of the United States. This election has been described in many different ways by the media, the candidates, and others more than willing to share their “expertise”. Until the last few years, votes would be counted within a few days and then we would know the winners and the losers. Unfortunately, recent elections have shown this not to be the case.

In my memory, the desire to challenge election results first arose, at least on the national level, during the Gore campaign’s challenge to results based on “hanging chads” or possible errors due to the method used to record and count votes on computer cards. The next big challenge was during the last election where the Trump campaign challenged the validity of results based on how election officials counted votes and the procedures that were applied inconsistently or correctly.

Interestingly, in neither case were the challenges upheld but in one case the challenges were applauded while in the other state and local officials used the challenges as a reason to bring legal charges against the candidate. One can only hope that neither the challenges nor the court cases are needed this year.

It also seems that this year citizenship is no longer important in our elections. Instead, it seems that we have an effort to allow voting by anyone in the country – whether they are citizens or not, whether they have entered our country legally or not, whether they actually reside here or somewhere else.

Our country was founded on the right of citizens to elect our government officials. I’m not sure that is still the case. Instead, officials are selected by a few “select” individuals who are not bound to support the desires of the average citizen. This was made clear this year when one of the two presidential candidates did not face a single general election prior to be named as the party’s candidate by these “select” individuals.

All of this is only to say all citizens should get out and vote today. Vote not on what some celebrity or media expert has recommended but instead on their personal beliefs and knowledge consider important. And, hope that our country can move forward as it has since the first elections and provide our children a safe and happy place to live.