The 2020 elections marked one of the greatest tests of America’s democracy since its founding more than two and a half centuries ago. The joyful crowds celebrating in the streets today show the collective relief that every vote will be counted and that the will of the people prevails. We had confidence that the country would hold a safe and secure vote; despite the many challenges at hand—a pandemic, a blizzard of disinformation, and active efforts to suppress and undermine the legitimacy of the elections—democracy held. It is a sign of the health of our system that so many Americans turned out to vote—not just for president, but for the myriad state and local offices which are increasingly reflective of the breadth and depth of our multiracial, inclusive democracy, as is the election, for the first time ever, of a woman of color as vice president.
The results drive home how much hard work lies ahead in this deeply divided country to repair the damage done to the rule of law, to the norms and values that have guided the republic from the start, and to ensure those who have lived in fear know they are safe from violence, oppression, and hatred, and that America has their back. The pandemic and the historic uprising this spring have been a great reveal, shining a bright light on economic inequality, systemic racism, our broken criminal justice system, inequities in our health care system, and so much more. The work of defending open societies is never done, and we at the Foundations are redoubling our efforts to heal the breaches and move us ever closer to the nation’s founding ideals.