On Nov. 5, the United States of America will hold its 59th presidential election. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but America is young. However, for a democracy, 59 successful national elections are more than many ever accomplished. A SciSpace webpage (How long does the average democracy last?) provides the insight that autocracies typically last 69 years, and democracies 244 years (if we compare the period from 1800 on) but only 24 or 58 years since 1940 if we compare presidential and parliamentary democracies. America is neither young nor old it seems.

The adage, “Nothing is forever," comes to mind. The facts about democracies aren’t unique to types of government. No regime is perfect under the sun or forever. Election 2024 is a moment in the life of American democracy, one of human history’s greatest. It is an opportunity for the people of the U.S. to forge the next four years in terms of its president, one-third of senators, and all the national representatives, as well as thousands of state and local officials.

The supporters of Harris, the Democratic nominee, need to address better the divide in the American polity between those who tend to be found in cities and those in the........

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