As a poll worker, voter, campaign assistant, vote mobilizer, mother and human being, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by Election Day decorum in the midst of such a divisive and contentious campaign season. Dedicated volunteers and voters alike kept their cool and treated one another with the decency and respect that any person should portray, regardless of tension and disparity of beliefs.
I had friendly dialogue with many people on both sides of what has, most unfortunately, been designated “the aisle.” Most people I met on Election Day were kind and open to having a conversation. No one really asked who I was there to support, but if they did, they genuinely cared to hear my reasons behind it. This is, in effect, the American democratic process in practice; people talking to people and agreeing to either agree or disagree, and in some cases casting votes across party lines. That is, after all, the right of all citizens in a democratic society.
Now that the election is over, my message to all Americans is simple; treat one another with the same degree of respect for others’ opinions as the Constitution of the country we all call home does. Believe that WE are THE PEOPLE. Believe that we are all entitled to our thoughts, our opinions and our political affiliations. This would not be the United States if we divided ourselves and allowed our governing bodies to divide us, too. We, the people, must stand up and put the rhetoric behind us. As Americans, we must demonstrate a solidarity that supports our process rather than pointing fingers and placing blame.
No matter what side of the “aisle” you are on, I imagine you want to have the ability to speak to friends, neighbors and family members just as you would in a less divisive time. If that’s not the case, dare I say, you are un-American. This country was founded on the basis of inclusion and our constitutional rights stand strong to uphold such expectations.
The year 2020 has been a difficult one for us all. Many of us have suffered from a great deal of loss: loss of our livelihoods, our homes, and, in some cases, even our loved ones.
Please just remember that we are all in this together, because we all live in the same world. It is your choice. You can choose to divide or you can choose to unite, no matter what. That, my fellow Americans, is a choice that this great country affords us all: to be part of the dissolution or to be part of the solution.
Elle Conard
Lower Saucon Township
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On the eve of the 2020 presidential election, a handmade sign along Rattlesnake Road in Durham Township, Bucks County, appealed for unity. Will America remain as divided as it was in the runup to the election? Only time–and our own behaviors–will tell.
