Election Day is Tuesday.

It has been said democracy is on the ballot.

When you think about it, democracy is always on the ballot.

Our Republic is built on open and free elections.

Our form of democracy does not work any other way.

People vote for many important reasons.

The most important thing of all, however, is that people vote.

Voter turnout is not a partisan issue. At least, it shouldn’t be.

Liberty is served when turnout is high, regardless of outcome.

The electorate in our country, and our state, are so equally divided that voter turnout makes all the difference in election outcomes.

It may sound simple, but it is true, if Republicans get more voters to the polls GOP candidates win.

If Democrats are more successful rallying the vote, Democrats win.

If more people vote, we all win.

Then when the voting is over and the counting is completed, we all need to accept the results.

Elections should always be about the will of the people, not the will of one person, one movement, one group of people or one party.

We cannot only accept the outcome of elections when we agree with the outcome. That is not how democracy works.

It is more than a little ironic that the only people who deny the legitimate outcome of elections are those whose candidates lose.

Many of you have already voted, taking advantage of early voting.

Of course, at the top of the ticket voters will decide if Democrat Raphael Warnock will retain his Senate seat or be unseated by Republican Herschel Walker and if Gov. Brian Kemp will hold office or be upset by Democrat Stacey Abrams.

But that’s not all that is on the ballot and down ticket races are nonetheless important. Candidates are running for various city and county posts in Lowndes County as well as other important statewide seats.

Voting is both a right and a privilege.

Be informed. Make wise decisions based on ideologies, past performance, platforms and matters of principle, rather than on personality, popularity or party alone.

In person Election Day voting opens in each precinct 7 a.m. Tuesday and will run through 7 p.m.

Yes, democracy is on the ballot.

But, then again, democracy is always on the ballot.

Vote.