Even as the final votes were still being counted, the election screens have gone dark on yet another election in Georgia.
There was a time when that would have been a ho-hum occurrence, with Georgians focused much more on the election’s results than on the process that produced them.
That was then, and this is now. Events of recent years have led us to a different place and mindset now as we all try to navigate a divisive, deeply troubled period in our American existence.
The security of our election apparatus and the accuracy of vote counts have been repeatedly called into doubt in Georgia and elsewhere. These suspicions have smoldered without proven evidence of significant problems.
That’s fueled unwarranted fears and widespread belief in voter fraud or other election chicanery. New, tighter voting laws in Georgia and other states have similarly raised voter beliefs about efforts to restrict voting and wrongly discourage participation.
These now-common doubts, while serious and worrisome, are minor compared to the potential risk to democracy from the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol in 2021 and the violent threats that have been made against election officials at state and local levels in Georgia and elsewhere.
It all amounts to a head-shaking period for people of goodwill, who believe in and support our peaceful way of representative democracy. And who are willing to accept results of its elections.
So, it was wonderfully refreshing to see an Election Day come and go peacefully Tuesday, in Georgia and elsewhere.
Yes, there were voting issues reported in several states Tuesday.
But not in our state.
Here at home, given what we’ve seen and endured in past elections, it was pleasing to see that Georgia’s election system seemed up to the task this time around.
As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mark Niesse wrote, “Voters found out Tuesday that it’s possible to have both high turnout and short lines in Georgia. “There were few waits or problems in the highly anticipated election, with eager voters motivated to participate in top-of-the-ticket races for the U.S. Senate and Georgia governor.”
That describes a routine outcome of a well-running voting system.
Given what we’ve endured lately, we believe there’s bipartisan agreement that the routine can be refreshing – and a welcome phenomenon that bodes well for our Republic at this tough point in its existence.
It’s even more impressive, given that this midterm election saw substantial turnout. When Election Day arrived, about 2.5 million Georgians had already voted early or by absentee ballot. Officials expect that final turnout will approach 4 million voters, about the same number as cast ballots in the 2018 midterm elections.
Elections officials around the state seem to have prepared well.
Kudos to them for that.
As this newspaper reported Tuesday, voting lines moved quickly “because election officials had ensured that each precinct had enough check-in stations, voting touchscreens and scanners to accommodate their number of registered voters.”
That’s a testament to the hard work of election workers from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office down to staffers at local voting precincts who did their jobs well during a trying time.
Such basic competence by government is among the best vaccines against too-widespread beliefs of significant voting fraud and other election-related problems that have polluted America’s civic environment in recent years.
As Americans and Georgians, we may not like the outcome of elections at times. In truth, we won’t.
But we should believe that the process is fair and secure. And that final election tallies are accurate records of voter choices.
That reflects a free nation and state functioning as they should when it comes to political choices.
When that happens, we can all build on that.
Even during troubled times.
The Editorial Board.
The Editorial Board.
