President’s Message: Police Play an Important Role in Ensuring Democracy
For generations, elections in the United States were remarkably peaceful. People in most communities went to local schools or municipal buildings to cast votes in elections organized by counties and staffed largely by volunteers and temporary workers, often retirees.
Voters usually learned the results the next morning, and losers civilly conceded to and congratulated their opponents. Within weeks, the appropriate transfer of power took place. Threats and violence were exceedingly rare.
