Let's treat voting like the precious right it is

With just a handful of votes still uncounted, we now know that the U.S. had its highest voter turnout in more than a century at 66.7 percent of eligible voters in spite of the pandemic.

Minnesota once again won the crown with the highest voter turnout at 79.9 percent. Illinois finished about one percentage higher than the national average at 67.6 percent. And Oklahoma brought up the rear at 55 percent. Hawaii, which, in the past, had often had turnout below 40 percent, raised it to 57.5 percent by instituting universal mail-in balloting.

Early voting, mail-in voting, absentee voting, same-day registration, all helped to drive up voting numbers, though many analysts give more credit to one man - Donald Trump - perhaps the most divisive political figure the nation has seen in a couple of generations. If you loved him, you voted. If you hated him, you voted.

However, before we tear a rotator cuff patting ourselves on the back for this great exercise in democracy, it is important to note that while we don't have final numbers, somewhere between 25 and 30 percent of Americans eligible to vote are still not registered. Moreover, the 66.7 percent pales in comparison to other developed countries where voter turnout can reach more than 82 percent (Sweden) or 91 percent of registered voters in Australia, where voting is compulsory. This year's turnout places the U.S. around 15th, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Despite the pandemic, possible threats from foreign actors against our electoral system, and increased mail-in voting, there is every indication that this was an incredibly well-run and problem-free election. Claims of voter fraud have not been borne out by facts. The insistence on having paper ballots - 95 percent of the ballots cast in America had a paper backup - insured that election officials could go back and check their work. Hand counts in Georgia and Wisconsin have shown that the original election night counts were incredibly accurate.

So, why should we be concerned? First, the constant drumbeat of fraud claims by the president and his allies are reflected in the polling that shows that anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of Republicans say (it's not clear they actually believe it) that the election was "rigged," despite evidence to the contrary and despite the fact that Republicans gained seats in the House, have a better-than-even shot at retaining the Senate, and did very well in state legislative races.

This is terribly corrosive to our democracy, and some Republicans have signaled that they want to place restrictions on mail-in voting. While some voters no longer have to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar to be allowed to cast a ballot, there are still impediments being thrown up (see Texas' decision to have one drop-off box for ballots in Harris County with a population of 4.7 million) and more could be on the way.

When Democrats took the House in 2018, the first piece of legislation they passed - HR1 - the "For the People Act of 2019" dealt with voting rights and other electoral issues. It would require more transparency from political donors and candidates, including the release of tax returns. It would end partisan gerrymandering that creates uncompetitive congressional districts that look like Rorschach Tests, giving independent panels the job of drawing the boundaries. It would prevent mass purges of voter rolls. It passed on a straight party-line vote and, predictably, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made it very clear that it would not see the light of day in his chamber.

This election has shown that HR1 is only a first step in what is needed. Our democracy, the ability to choose our leaders, is the most precious thing our nation has. We need to make sure we treat it that way.

• Keith Peterson, of Lake Barrington, served 29 years as a press and cultural officer for the United States Information Agency and Department of State. He was chief editorial writer of the Daily Herald 1984-86.