Courage Starts With Showing Up

November 2, 2026

"Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen."
— Brené Brown

I'll never forget Tuesday evening, November 6, 1990, thirty-six years ago.

I was running for Ohio Attorney General, and as the returns came in on election night, it was clear there would be no victory or concession speech. The election was so extraordinarily close that it triggered an automatic statewide recount that would take weeks to complete.

After Thanksgiving, the magnitude of what had happened became clear. About 3.5 million Ohioans had cast their ballots, and the recount confirmed that I had won by just 1,234 votes. That's three one-hundredths of one percent. It was the closest statewide election in Ohio history.

In the end, the outcome was decided not by one big moment, but by thousands of small ones. One person deciding to vote before going to work. A parent who found time between work and taking care of their children. A student making time between classes. A voter who might easily have said, "It won't matter whether I vote or not," and then decided to vote anyway.

That election taught me never to underestimate the power of one person choosing to show up and be heard.

We sometimes talk about voting as an abstraction, a civic duty we are supposed to perform. But for me, voting has never been abstract. In a democracy, we never know in advance which vote will make the difference.

We may not always like the outcome of an election. I've been on both sides of that experience. But respect for democracy isn't measured only when our candidate wins. It matters just as much when our candidate loses.

Participation should be accompanied by confidence in the electoral process. Last week, I co-authored an op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch with other former Ohio Attorneys General. We explained why Ohio's elections are fair and secure because they are protected by laws, bipartisan administration, and independent courts:

Former Ohio Attorneys General: Four Reasons Your Vote is Safe on Tuesday.

Generations of Americans fought to give each of us a voice in our democracy. Their story is our inheritance. They did not know our names, but they fought for our voices. Democracy is something each generation inherits, but it’s also something each generation must renew.

At BW, our goal – in fact, our promise – is to graduate leaders with character, ready to live a life of meaning and purpose.

Democracy asks something of each generation. It asks us not merely to observe, criticize, or complain from the sidelines, but to participate. Being Leader-Ready means participating in the decisions that shape your future and being ready to contribute to something larger than yourself.

To those of you who voted early, thank you. To those of you who haven't, please vote tomorrow.

Sometimes the difference between what is and what could be begins with one person deciding to make their voice heard and showing up.

Lee Fisher
President, Baldwin Wallace University