By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

I want to declare victory on behalf of our democratic government.

No, it has nothing to do with who won the presidential election. It has everything to do with the number of American citizens who voted while the nation we love in the grip of a killer pandemic.

The Joe Biden-Donald Trump election has drawn nearly 154 million Americans to vote for president. The previous high occurred four years ago when the Donald Trump-Hillary Clinton contest attracted more than 136 million total ballots. Oh, and get a load of this: This year’s election tally is going to grow as more ballots are counted each day.

This is worth saluting because we often gripe about voters who become lazy, or disinterested, or disengaged from the political process. Not this year, man!

Politicians mostly of the Democratic persuasion called on voters to cast their ballots. Vote by mail if you and you are concerned about exposure to the COVID virus, they said. Vote early, they implored us, to ensure your votes are counted.

It appears that the public heard the calls to vote. They responded with a turnout that no doubt will make history.