During the local candidate forum in October, Summit Daily editor and event moderator Andrew Maciejewski reported that “preserving and/or threats to” democracy were top of mind for voters in Summit County according to the Voter Voices survey of Coloradans. With 67% of Summit County voters, and 54 percent of Colorado voters, backing Kamala Harris, there is undoubtedly a lot of ongoing local consternation regarding the national election results. Concern about the health of our democracy, and its mechanics, is a bipartisan, common-ground issue. It just depends upon what premises you bring to the discussion.

All the local candidates expressed confidence in Summit County Clerk Taryn Power, her team, and the accuracy of Summit County’s vote-counting results. I concur with the candidates’ assessment on the local level and congratulate Taryn on her election. However, our candidates missed the most obvious risks to Summit County’s election integrity, all of which are beyond our county clerk’s control:

• Colorado automatically registers new voters when they get a driver’s license
• As we know, Summit County is a very transient location. By law, it takes way too long to remove inactive voters from the voter rolls. If Summit County was in any competitive districts, or Colorado was a swing state, there are undoubtedly ballots circulating for individuals who are no longer Summit County — or even Colorado — residents
• Yes, voter signatures are supposed to be verified and checked against the driver’s license signature database, but that process is only as good as the verification process itself

So long as there are places around the country that take days, weeks, and sometimes months to determine the outcome of elections — and they are often the same places cycle after cycle, like Maricopa County, Arizona, but even the Eighth congressional district right here in Colorado — when the vote difference between candidates is well known, and partisan actors know the number of votes they need to produce or invalidate in order for their candidate to prevail, there is going to be distrust in the process and the outcomes. So long as there are states that count mail-in ballots received after election day (with common-sense exceptions for active-duty military personnel ballots), there are going to be partisan suspicions about the results.  Election Day needs to be election day. So long as there are billions of dollars’ worth of anonymous and unaccountable interest group (“dark money”) advertisements running in every election cycle, and a lack of transparency and sunshine regarding donors, there is going to be loss of confidence in the integrity of our democracy.

As a former candidate who has won and lost elections, and whose preferred candidates have had big victories and heavy losses over the years, I consciously resolve to not get too emotional about elections. Although I do care about the results, I know our republic and our nation’s democratic ethos is much stronger and more resilient than any candidate or election cycle.

For what it’s worth, here’s my advice. With family, friends, and neighbors, listen before labeling.  Embrace the classical liberal philosophy of, “I may not agree with you, but I will fight for your right to say it.” Break out of your political silo by reading information sources with different perspectives and never choose your friends by political affiliation.

If you are concerned about preserving democracy, be introspective, don’t gloat, and don’t misplace your faith in any elected official or political party. Embrace the U.S. Constitution. It is the foundation upon which our democracy stands. Reject partisan plans to increase the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices, and calls for justices to step down, to overtly engineer a permanent, partisan judicial branch. Reject schemes that trample debate and consensus, like eliminating the filibuster in the U.S. Senate.  Focus on common principles, like individual dignity and limited government power, that unite us as a nation and keep us grounded in the strongest and most enduring “democracy” in history.

Bruce Butler's column "Common Sense Conversations" publishes biweekly on Tuesdays in the Summit Daily News. Butler is a former mayor and council member in Silverthorne, where he has lived for 20 years. Contact him at butlerincolorado@gmail.com.