Democracy in action

THE FIRST result of the American presidential election of November 5 was known to the world even before polls closed. The result said it all.

The tiny population of the New Hampshire village of Dixville Notch split right down the middle: three votes for Kamala Harris, three for Donald Trump.

That dead heat encapsulated not only 2024’s race, but also summarised the last decade in American politics.

The US has been so intractably divided it is worth questioning whether it still exists.

By this stage, America may as well be two separate nations; the American Civil War may well have never ended.

Yet, true democracy is never easy.

And despite being cleaved by deep-set divisions, American democracy appears to be alive and well, at least for the moment, as millions cast votes in big cities and small towns, in schools, gymnasiums, churches, and libraries.

They were undeterred by rain, long lines, technical problems and even bomb threats.

All were energised by wildly different closing messages from the candidates.

Ms Harris said people were ready to bend the arc of history towards justice and to turn the page. She pledged to do all in her power to end the war in Gaza. And she quoted scripture, saying, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Mr Trump, meanwhile, labelled the Democratic Party as “demonic,” promised a “safer border,” and said he would not mind it if journalists were shot at, an echo of remarks in which he said Liz Cheney, who endorsed Ms Harris, should be placed before a firing squad. He also repeatedly engaged in obscene gestures, imitating a sex act using a microphone.

An estimated US$10.5 billion was spent on campaign ads, with some analysts putting overall spending at US$15.9 billion.

It was the first election since the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the overturning of Roe v Wade, and in which a major social media company had a direct stake, through Elon Musk’s X platform, which was accused of spreading misinformation.

Mr Trump himself was accused of doing the same mere hours after he voted.

More than any other candidate, the Republican leader has sought to undermine the integrity of elections.

As he did in 2020 and 2016, when he called those polls “stolen” and “rigged,” his party sowed a narrative in which they deemed the exercise illegitimate even before voting opened.

Despite all such efforts, American voters, including Trump supporters, proved they placed faith in their democracy, with pre-election day votes alone totalling almost 83 million.

There were no reports of any major incidents of violence.

When the dust settles on this historic race, it may be democracy that will, above all, prevail.