Finally, Americans go to the polls for the final time in their federal elections, including the choice of a new president of their nation.

We have been following (addicted to) the election race since mid July. For me, the turning point occurred when the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates chose their vice-presidential running mates. On July 23, Hillary Clinton’s choice of Tim Kaine gave me great hope. Of the four candidates at the top of the two major parties’ tickets, I think Kaine is the best hope of the kind of decent, capable, experienced public servant that American has seen in a long time. Not flashy or charismatic, but solidly grounded in service from his days as a Catholic missionary in Honduras through his successful forays into municipal and state politics that saw him become a councilman, then mayor or Richmond, VA, and later lieutenant governor and governor of the state, Kaine has displayed integrity and sound, thoughtful leadership.

Since July, there have been far too many campaign developments to detail here. My faith in the Clinton-Kaine ticket has certainly been tested, not by anything attractive in the Trump-Pence campaign, but by the behaviour of so many supporters of the latter “team.” I have questioned whether or not a large enough number of Americans had the wherewithal to make a rational choice. But this week, as the end drew nigh, I have relaxed, reassured by the polls, particularly Nate Silver’s fivethirtyeight.com which correctly forecast the last two presidential elections. I am confident that Hillary Clinton will be the next president, the first woman president of the US-eh. In about 12 hours (8:00 PT/11:00 ET), we’ll have a much clearer idea.

Of course, the conclusion of the election will NOT be the end of the story. Whether the next few weeks represent a denouement in this drama, or simply the third act in a five-act play remains to be seen. Stay tuned….