OPINION — Election Day is less than two months away, so Americans are getting a crash course right now on what democracy is actually about: natural divisions and necessary unity.
These reminders are coming just in time for International Democracy Day on Sept. 15. While it’s not as well known in the United States as the Fourth of July and doesn’t come with fireworks and hotdogs, it provides an opportunity for every American to reflect on the importance of a healthy democracy to our security, prosperity, and way of life and to redouble our commitment to protecting and strengthening it as we enter the final stretch of campaign season.
Elections are naturally divisive because candidates, parties and supporters work to put forward competing ideas and earn citizens’ support. They seek to beat their opponents, and there are always winners and losers. Naturally, in a democracy, losers concede to winners and know they have future opportunities to compete again. Elections remind us of the need for unity in protecting the system that allows us to compete for our ideas.
