Democracy winner of Tuesday's elections

Participatory democracy was the big winner in Tuesday's election.

Voting booths were full from sun up to sunset from coast to coast. Here in our region, polls from Eastport to Bayview, Clark Fork to Priest River were humming all day. Many local polling sites had people lined up before 8 a.m.

Bonner County's voter turnout was huge. Just over 79 percent of Bonner County registered voters cast ballots.

Nationally, 60 percent of voters participated — the highest percentage turnout since 1968.

Idaho had 78 percent of registered voters vote, including 95,000 people who registered on election day.

America wins whenever the electorate is motivated. Tuesday's election was also a great civics lesson for our country.

If we are going to convince other countries in the world democracy works, it had better be working well here.

Bonner County will see many changes as a result of this election. Two new county commissioners will be seated in January, the county's first female sheriff will be sworn in and the state senator for District 2 will reside in Bonner County for the first time.

On the national front, President George W. Bush has a mandate from the people that he was missing in his first term. He won the Electoral College and popular votes this time around.

Some of us are pleased with the results from the presidential race — others are disappointed and angry.

Some Bonner County residents are elated with the outcome of our local contests, while others feel disenfranchised.

This is a pivotal moment in our country's history. This is a time to heal and a time to come together on all levels.

People who don't know the United States might wrongly believe the deep differences that pop up during elections are signs of weakness in this country. It's just the opposite.

It's good we don't all agree on everything, it pushes us all to greater things.

The next few years will be pivotal in Bonner County as we face growth issues and a myriad other concerns. All sides need to work together for the greater good.

The president also has his hands full. A war on terror, skyrocketing health care costs, a ballooning deficit and many other challenges were highlighted during this spirited campaign and will be addressed in the coming months.

This is the time for us to rally behind the winners in Tuesday's election and to pat their opponents on the back.

The votes are counted and we are ready to move ahead.

Democracy was the big winner Tuesday because so many participated.

David Keyes is publisher of the Bee.