By the end of this evening, months of bickering will come to an end - hopefully - as the election of November 2005 becomes history and its results a reality.

As soon as all of the votes are counted and the winners claim victory, our community can reflect on what exactly has transpired.

As ugly as our political process can become - from name-calling and accusations to incidents such as the fistfight that ensued Friday over an illegal political sign - our system is still an amazing process for choosing our leaders.

Once you strip away the buzz, peel back the layers of political funk and slice away the hunks of spin, the core that remains is a solid, if imperfect, process.

From the most powerful position in Washington, D.C., to a township trustee in rural Lawrence County, each position is elected through the will of the people.

Our political process has worked well for more than 200 years. Through the decades that system has been tweaked to guarantee the rights of all citizens, regardless of race, sex or economic status.

But perhaps the one &#8220tweak” that would help the system most of all is one that all of Congress cannot accomplish - improved voter participation.

Each year, voter turnout across the United States is pathetic. The fact is that American voters simply take the right to vote for granted.

Last month, as Iraqis went to the polls for the first time after the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein, they flocked to the voting booths in amazing numbers.

Initial reports showed that 63 percent of the Iraqi voting public risked personal injury to simply exercise the precious right to speak their minds.

By contrast, a typical American election may only bring out approximately half that percentage.

Somehow, when all of the fussing and fighting is over, we need to concentrate - next year - on getting more people involved in the nation's most important process.