In 1789, electors chosen by ten states cast ballots and elected George Washington as our first President of the United States. America’s first election would not fit the modern definition of a democracy or a constitutional republic, but it was a good start.
At the time, the rest of the world was made up of closed autocracies where citizens had no right to choose their leaders. The only other exception was England, where the gradual process of democratization was underway.
The radical idea of the day in the colonies was a rejection of the tyranny of the crown while vesting the power in the people. That notion was reflected in the very first words of the new Constitution: We the people.
True, it would be many years before this country fulfilled the promise of empowering all citizens with the unencumbered right to choose their leaders, but the wheels were set in motion. Today, at least half of the countries in the world are defined as electoral or liberal democracies.
Many of those countries have looked to the United States for inspiration in governance. Historians agree the American Revolution motivated French revolutionaries which, in turn, propelled a period of Enlightenment and democratic movements across Europe.
On this Election Day, our focus is on our immediate desires. Will my candidate win and what happens if they do not? That is understandable, but each election should be viewed in the context of our history.
Presidential elections are not a beginning or an end, but a continuation of a remarkable experiment that began 248 years ago. Each of the candidates in the 60 presidential elections, including this one, bears a responsibility to adhere to a higher cause, one that goes far beyond their personal desires and extends to the greater good of the country.
There is also a responsibility of the voters who have been awarded the right to choose their leaders. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve that right, but most of us enjoy the benefits by virtue of just being born here or having become a citizen.
If the power does rest with the people, then as Alexis de Tocqueville said, “In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.” Our votes matter because the act of participation is an acknowledgment of the virtues of democracy. Voting and elections are the cornerstone of our republic.
Benjamin Franklin, in a response to a question about the government being proposed at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, said, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Every election is a test to determine whether we continue to meet that challenge.