Though many voters would not be surprised to be facing a protracted post-election battle, complete with legal challenges and charges of polling errors, the mood at most polling places Tuesday was one of relief - that this long, nasty campaign is finally over.

Standing in line at polling places in Butler County and across America, voters turned out in record numbers. Passions clearly ran deep during the presidential campaign, though sadly most emotions were negative - voting against, rather than for, President George W. Bush or Sen. John Kerry.

The volatile and negative nature of this presidential election was not lost on the voters waiting in line yesterday, most of whom seemed to be making a concerted effort to avoid talking politics. The weather, kids and school were all welcome topics - just not politics.

The friendly small talk among friends and neighbors waiting to cast a vote one of two rival presidential candidates revealed that those supporting the other side are not as demonic and dangerous as the campaign ads suggested. They are just people with different views, perspectives and priorities.

The regular coming-together of Americans in church basements, firehalls and community centers sometimes feels like a quaint remnant of a lost era in America. But it also is a comforting reminder of America's roots and its remarkable stability and civility.

Following a campaign when vitriolic campaign ads, often paid for by so-called "527" groups not officially linked to a candidate, filled the airways for months, the end result is that half of the voting-age population of the United States will be upset and bitter - and inclined to believe that the man occupying the White House for the next four years is a liar and dangerous for the country.

While every campaign seems to play fast and loose with the truth, the fact checking efforts this year revealed that both sides stretched and distorted the facts on a regular basis.

Despite of, or perhaps because of, all the negativity during this campaign, voters need to remind themselves that, as hard as it might be to believe, the nation will survive. The president has the bully pulpit and can shape the agenda, but the Congress and the judicial branch are no less important factors in determining the future.

Beyond the checks and balances built into the federal government, Tuesday's winner will be forced to deal with many difficult challenges, including the ongoing conflict in Iraq and the associated war on terrorism. The next president will also be faced with a mountainous federal budget deficit, increasingly unaffordable health care and a global economy that seems to encourage the exportation of jobs from the United States to low-cost foreign lands to satisfy price-conscious American shoppers and Wall Street's pressures to maximize profits.

At some point, the bitter election will have to be put behind us and people will have to face the future - a future full of both challenges and hope.