Happy Presidents Day

Feb. 19 is Presidents Day, established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, our nation's first president. Washington took office after the 1788–1789 presidential election, in which he was elected unanimously by the Electoral College. He was re-elected unanimously in the 1792 presidential election and chose to retire after two terms. He was succeeded by his vice president, John Adams.

I remember the first time I voted in a presidential election. It was 1984 and the race was between incumbent president Ronald Reagan and former vice president Walter Mondale. It was before the days of mail-in ballots so making it to a polling center, going through the check-in process, and going into the voting booth was all new territory for me as an 18 year old.

In 2000, I was reminded that every vote counts. My wife and I lived in Broward County, Florida at the time and voted in the controversial and very close race between George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore which was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court because it was too close to call and was filled with controversy over hanging and dimpled chads.

This year, more voters than at any time in history will go to the polls for national elections, representing about 49% of the people on Earth. Of the 43 countries expected to hold free and fair elections this electoral year, 28 do not actually meet the essential conditions for a democratic vote, according to the Democracy Index from global media company The Economist Group and Time magazine.

And while our own country certainly has its challenges, Americans enjoy tremendous freedoms, safety and independence. In a 1963 speech in Berlin, Germany, President John F. Kennedy said, "Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us."

So this Presidents Day, let's recognize George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other leaders who have pledged to preserve our democracy and embraced the value of "liberty and justice for all."