Well folks, today's the day. In-person voting has begun, and the last voters are flocking in. Some states have already been counting the absentee and mail ballots. Others, such as mine, weren't allowed to start counting them until 7 am this morning.

I'm sure I speak for others when I say that I feel like I'm cresting that first big hill on a rollercoaster, and I am staring down that fast-approaching drop. There's a lot riding on this damn election, and throughout the day I want everyone to keep some things in mind.

First, it is unlikely we'll know the outcome by the end of today. We've seen a historically unprecedented number of votes by mail this year, and many states do not have the infrastructure in place to handle that many. Even the ones that do, like California, may take several days to count them all. In 2016, it took New York almost a year to finalize their results (though fortunately the outcome was never in question).

Second, to my Democratic friends, don't be alarmed when you see the Election Day vote heavily skewing Republican. We knew it was going to look like that for the past couple months, as many Republicans reported they would wait until Election Day to vote. Trump has downplayed the risk of COVID and played up the boogeyman of mail-in vote fraud. Democrats, meanwhile, have overwhelmingly voted early.

Lastly, to any liberal centrists reading, don't think that you can just go home and back to ignoring politics once this election is over. Regardless of who wins this thing, legitimately or otherwise, this isn't the end of this sordid saga. Rather, it's the end of the beginning. There's lots of work to be done, and a reckoning in America that's long overdue.

Be safe. Be vigilant.