It was a short walk through the quiet of midmorning to my local polling place, a log structure infrequently used as a community hall. A thin layer of fresh snow marked my progress. Three of my fellow community members were there, and I was recognized and greeted by name. No ID was required. There was no line as I was the only voter there at that time. I was given a paper ballot and told to bubble in the circle next to my choice. I did. Folded it in half and placed it in the box.

I had approached the banquet table of democracy, taken the ballot, held it for a moment remembering all of my brothers and sisters across the nation also being served in the same way, and placed my offering in the box. I stood for another moment, being warmed by the woodstove, Copeland running through my head, wishing the process had taken longer. I joked breifly with my neighbors before leaving and retracing my footsteps in the snow.

Election day is one in which we celebrate America by exercising our right and doing our duty to speak our voice and help determine the course of the nation. We honor all that has come before, recognizing where we are, and boldly, hopefully charting a course to a better tomorrow.

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Tonight I sit huddled in front of the computer, alone, listening to warm voices on the radio broadcast the election results. A candidate has  been chosen, and in January, American will again witness an astonishing thing among nations: the peaceful change in leadership. No coup, no bullets or bombs. The presidency remains. America endures.