On the eve of election day, tensions are high and voters are anxious; that has been a theme throughout the election season.
“There’s a lot of drama everywhere. People have lost touch with humanity,” said voter Connie Wilson.
The US was also a concerned country when George Washington took the first oath of office in Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan. The young country was full of debt, the constitution was weak and the legal system was still in its infancy.
More than two centuries later, with the first presidential election since COVID-19 and the civil unrest and social unrest of 2020, we are now even more anxious.
A poll by the American Psychological Association shows that 69% of Americans think so great tension about these electionswhile 72% fear the outcome will lead to violence. More than half fear that this will mean the end of our democracy.
While there may be no cure for our national anxiety, there is still one thing that works: fair play. That means accepting defeat when the defeat is clear, even if that clarity is shrouded in microscopic margins.
Last year, Democrat Kimberly Pope Adams ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. The race in a district south of Richmond raised nearly $6 million.
“I spent 18 months campaigning for a position that was only for two years, but it was worth it to me,” Adams said.
On election night, Adams trailed by 78 votes.
“We knew we weren’t there on election night, but we were still hopeful because we knew the process wasn’t complete and there was an opportunity to narrow the margin,” Adams said.
Under state law, Adams requested a recount, but she never denounced her opponent, cried fraud or claimed the election was stolen.
The recount added 25 more votes to Adams’ total, but it was still not enough to win.
“It was heartbreaking. I’m not going to lie. It was heartbreaking. But it wasn’t emotional because I didn’t believe it. It wasn’t emotional because I didn’t trust it. It was only emotional because it was.” “It’s not what I hoped for, but I accept it,” Adams said.
When asked about the importance of accepting a narrow defeat, Adams said: “Before you make any rhetoric or sides, remember who you are. Remember who your neighbors are. And ultimately know that we played by the rules and win or lose, that’s the outcome.”
That offers a lesson in the burden of loving democracy and our constitutional republic, charging us to love this experiment more than our own ambition, and to accept defeat when we have lost to continue for America – and not for ourselves.
Major Garrett
