Be patient. Let our democracy work

Our democracy isn’t always pretty. Or quick. We are all eager to find out who won Tuesday’s election. But in this election, it is going to take a little longer to determine the victor. And that is ok. It is more important that we get it right. That means counting every vote that was legally cast. Part of the delay is due to the record number of absentee ballots, as well as high turnout. Not knowing the final results yet is not the result of some fraud. We simply need to give our clerks time to count all the ballots. Frankly, it is demeaning to our hard-working poll workers, who take their duties seriously, to suggest there is some sort of fraud, or that ballots that haven’t yet been counted shouldn’t be. Some states allow ballots sent but not received by the times the polls closed to be counted in the hours or even days after the election. That is what the law allows, and that needs to be respected. But even after the votes are counted, that may not be the end. Candidates who are within a certain margin of victory are allowed to ask for a recount. In Wisconsin, the latest numbers show President Trump is within the margin to request a recount. And then there is the possibility of legal action to try to settle the election in the courts. That is how our democracy works, and we need to let it work.