After nearly two years of speeches, punditry, polls, robo-calls, debates, attack ads, position papers, bumper stickers and campaign rallies the decision about the race for the White House in 2008 is finally where it should be: in the hands of the voters. Today, millions upon millions of Americans will choose their 44th president.

Of course, some voters will be filled with joy after tonight and others won’t. But whatever the outcome, it’s worth standing back for a second and reminding ourselves of the wonder of American democracy. The emotions that many of us feel today in casting a ballot for our favored candidate are not artificial; they are emblematic of the patriotic fervor and love for this land that defines us as Americans.

In moments like these, as we all wait for the polls to come in and the winner to be declared, it’s worth harking back to the words of Alexis de Tocqueville and his most perceptive account of American democracy. Writing in 1832, de Tocqueville had this to say about the presidential election that year, which saw President Andrew Jackson face off against Henry Clay:

For a long while before the appointed time has come, the election becomes the important and, so to speak, the all-engrossing topic of discussion. Factional ardor is redoubled, and all the artificial passions which the imagination can create in a happy and peaceful land are agitated and brought to light…. As the election draws near, the activity of intrigue and the agitation of the populace increase; the citizens are divided into hostile camps, each of which assumes the names of its favorite candidate; the whole nation glows with feverish excitement; the election is the daily theme of the press, the subject of every private conversation, the end of every thought and every action, the sole interest of the present. It is true that as soon as the choice is determined, this ardor is dispelled, calm returns, and the river, which had nearly broken its banks, sinks to its usual level; but who can refrain from astonishment that such a storm should have arisen.

Keep in mind, the 1832 campaign wasn’t exactly a barn-burner of a race as Jackson won re-election handily (and of course millions of Americans were prevented by law from voting). But the emotions of any national election are genuine, and they reflect a level of passion and intensity unique to democracy. As de Tocqueville reminds us, John McCain and Barack Obama are more than mere candidates for higher office, they are vessels for the hopes, dreams and fears of their supporters. As Americans wait in those long lines today -- sometimes for hours at a time -- they are doing far more than simply picking an individual to run the government, they are voting for an idea and a vision of what they believe America is, and above all, what it ca n be.

Whichever candidate wins; simply the opportunity to ensure that our voice is heard and that our vote is counted is today’s greatest and most lasting gift.