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As this editorial is being written, we’re still a full day away from knowing anything about our country, state or local future in terms of the upcoming election.

As candidates make last minute pitches, voters around the country are eagerly waiting to see which direction we are trending.

This has been a long road to get to this point, starting at the 2016 election. Since then, this country has been split down the middle, oftentimes negatively. In truth, this has been an election cycle like no other and we can except, as many of you do, that the end did not come on election night.

President Donald Trump earlier in the week, before election day, signaled he would deploy lawyers while continually questioning the integrity of the election coming on the heels of millions casting absentee ballots due to the ongoing and worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re seeing increased commercials, many by super pacs with questionable truth and facts, and each day it seems we’re having a more difficult time even listening to the other side.

No, this is going to be an ongoing issue for a while, so we are taking this time, just a day after Election Day, to once again push to be better.

We may have four more years of Trump, we may have four new years with Vice President Joe Biden. Things may get better with either, things may get worse with either, but each of us as citizens can start being the catalyst for change.

Each election cycle we’re told by so many people that it is our privilege and right to vote and that each vote is a vote for the betterment of our country. Well, it’s time to act like it.

By us voting, we are holding our politicians accountable for the work. Now, it’s time to hold ourselves accountable.

This country has always continued to be strong because its people have come together; however, these last few years have been a struggle to agree on anything from the United States government all the way down each of us in this county and surrounding coverage area.

We can do two things: we can either continue down this track and continue to vilify both the Right and Left or we can start breaking down those barriers.

Either way, this election is a chance to continue moving the country back in the right direction. Instead of pointing at the other side, point the finger inward and ask what you can do to make the situation better.

You can vet those stories you see that raise question marks, we can have solid and substantial conversations. We can be better.

If we want this to continue to be the greatest country on Earth, we have to admit to ourselves we’ve been going the wrong way.

We can be better, but in all reality we HAVE to be better because if we don’t do better, then we risk invalidating the election process in general.