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I looked up the word interminable. It means “never ending.” It’s a good word that might summarize a modern-day presidential race. In the old days, not too long ago, the serious part of a presidential race began just after Labor Day and ended on “the Tuesday after the first Monday.” That was known as Election Day and could be any date between November 2 and November 8. This year it’s November 5.

            Nowadays, it seems that we are always in some kind of never ending election mode. As soon as one is over, another has begun. In addition there is no longer any “one” day for elections. We have early voting days which may begin a month or many weeks before the official Election Day.

            I’ve been a traditionalist when it comes to voting, but have changed. I looked forward to voting on Election Day and stayed away from early voting. It was fun to look forward to voting on the “right day.” However, Donna Sue and I voted early this year. It was easy and there were no lines. Instead of taking an hour to vote after standing in line, we voted in a matter of minutes.

            Another change in our presidential elections is the matter of mail-in ballots. We have had mail-in ballots for a long time, but it was mostly for our military personnel who might be stationed overseas. Or someone who might be infirmed could ask for an absentee ballot.

            The Covid-19 pandemic changed that. People were afraid to get out among other people and some state governments decided to simply mail every eligible voter a ballot. That could have been understood under pandemic circumstances, but it opened a Pandora’s Box for scams. The 2020 election was controversial because so many ballots had been mailed out and, then, harvested as it was called.

            Although one can still request a ballot by mail, I hope this year’s election will be free from that situation.

            There is another difference these days. In most cases in the past, we would know the winner of the races on the same day. It may be late in the day, but before midnight, we would probably know who our next president, senator, or congressman would be.

            I have set up many a night looking at the voting returns. I enjoyed the various networks and their projections for the winners in particular states. The countdown of the Electoral College totals made for a good night of television to me.

            Now, an election may be decided by ballots that are counted as late as three or four days after the Election Day. I’m not a fan of that because if someone led the race at the end of Election Day, but lost in the final count of late ballots, suspicion enters into my mind. I want to be confident in the count and a long, drawn-out count is frustrating, particularly when my favorite comes out on the short end of the stick.

            I want my candidate to win, of course, but more than anything, I want to be confident that the count is as accurate as possible. We have all heard that votes are important, but the one who counts the votes matters!

            Finally, the question that I have asked is, “By this time next week, will we know the winner? I am reminded of the ope ra that was long and tedious. Many people were wishing that it would be over, but the final scene consisted of a “healthy” soprano and a final song.

            The fidgety people were told “It’s not over until the fat lady sings.” Yogi Berra also said something like that. He said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

            I’ll be glad when this election is over!