Forward together

Where we stand this week will not change next week, or the week after that; we stand with justice, inclusion, compassion, and democracy today, tomorrow, and every day thereafter.

After today, there are just two days left to vote in this most critical election.

Where we stand this week will not change next week, or the week after that; we stand with justice, inclusion, compassion, and democracy today, tomorrow, and every day thereafter.

What it takes to maintain that stand depends heavily on how the vote goes, and how the anti-democratic activists respond. We might be facing down another attempt to overturn the results, or we might be facing our own despair.

We know what is at stake. We know where each presidential candidate stands. We have done our research on the down-ballot candidates and issues closer to our communities, informing our choices carefully.

Many of us have marked and mailed or dropped off our ballots already. Many more will do so over the next couple of days. No one can afford to sit this one out. Every vote on every ballot matters, tremendously.

It’s likely that, by the time I write again, the results of many races and initiative outcomes will be clear; a few might still be too close to call. This is democracy at work: careful counting of tens of millions of ballots, one precinct or county at a time.

The work of building just, inclusive, and thriving communities for all goes on. It might be boosted by the ballot count, or hampered; either way, we will take a deep breath, hug one another, and move forward together.

There is no other way.

Be safe, be well, and vote. We’ll still be together on the other side of this election.