According to exit polling, the number one concern of American voters in this recent election was that of healthcare. More than the economy. More than immigration. More than gun control, racial justice or women’s empowerment. All lives, black or otherwise, do matter especially to anyone faced with no affordable access to care or inadequate coverage because of an inability to adequately finance their own or a loved one’s medical intervention.

Even those still wanting to drive a victorious partisan stake through the heart of Obamacare now acknowledge that most voters don’t want to give up its assurance of obtainable insurance despite pre-existing conditions. Most voters plainly want better coverage, far more reasonable drug pricing, and far lower out of pocket expenses overall. A majority of the electorate approves of expanding Medicaid and is more and more receptive to the concept of a “Medicare for all” single-payer system. The “S” word has finally lost its boogeyman mojo. Once routinely maligned as somehow another form of communism, an actual comprehension of socialism’s bottom line is suddenly giving capitalism a run for its money. We now live in a more enlightened “Feel the Bern” era where ever mounting runaway healthcare costs have become a common enemy that’s creating a growing common ground among all voters.

Unfortunately, most politicians, even those on the Left, still aren’t comfortable positioning themselves as open to the idea of healthcare as a right rather than an accepted sacred cash cow entitlement of the insurance and delivery system marketplace. Sadly, a tiresome chicken-or-the-egg dynamic of whether the electorate or those elected will lead in finding a solution continues to profit only those all too happy to keep the present for-profit rather than pro-health model unchanged.

Here in Maine all of the above remains a disappointing reality, with the additional burden of having not only the nation’s most aged populace but one of the least affluent. Of those vying for the governorship, the opioid crisis and Medicaid expansion were as far as most would go in addressing a much larger medical nightmare that continues to devastate lives and undermine Maine’s economic viability, aside from vague campaign pledges to somehow lower the cost of a traditional private insurance underpinning. Ditto for those returning to Congress, though Rep. Chellie Pingree tentatively placed one foot in the direction of the single-payer camp.

The big surprise came by way of a historic 2nd congressional district upset that chose a full-fledged universal healthcare advocate to replace someone who labeled anyone holding such progressive views as “dangerous.” That upset was narrow, but still a major victory for those holding that healthcare is a necessity, not a commodity. Barring what would be an even more surprising judicial overturn of his RCV win, Jared Golden heads to Washington as an unexpectedly visionary voice representing what’s traditionally thought as being the more conservative half of the state.

Despite all attempts to keep voters confused, fearful and divided, people are awakening to the possibility that no one should be one illness away from financial ruin or having to choose between filling their prescriptions or buying food. Not in the world’s wealthiest nation. Not when most other developed nations, and our own Hawaii, stand as example that universal healthcare is inarguably doable.

Hopefully our new glass-ceiling-triumphant governor-elect will take Congressman-elect Golden’s lead on healthcare as another example of what’s doable, and electable. Hopefully a dominant Democratic majority in the legislature will take the initiative in advancing the ongoing efforts of Maine AllCare to enact a single-payer system, rather than avoiding real leadership and then balking when passage of yet another ballot question becomes a necessary grass roots plan B.

Even better, with a revised government and rapidly evolving public acceptance, maybe Maine AllCare’s non-partisan advocacy of publicly funded coverage for all Mainers will achieve successful bipartisan support this go-around.

The trouble with our representative form of governance is that the People’s will is way too unwilling to participate beyond the election booth. Few voters ever have any real interface with their elected officials. Few elected officials have any demonstrable difficulty with that.

The election window is now closed. Those who voted had their say. Traditionally, proxy stewardship is now expected from those elevated to holding office. For the last eight years that expectation has proven severely wanting. In the coming year, especially with one party now calling the shots, what remains to be seen is if this new legislature and governor can work together in solving Maine’s many challenges or whether citizen activists will again take charge.

It’s altogether understandable that ever increasing direct democracy intervention is an affront to many of those elected to govern. Understandable, but not something to be tolerated if standing in the way of progressive change. On the question of a much needed healthcare revolution, Democrats and Republicans need to ask themselves whether Maine is, by way of its indirect initiative process, indeed an alleged “easy date” prey to out-of-state initiated ballot question interference or is it a largely independent electorate already self-motivated to move beyond a failed two-party acceptance of corporate dictated healthcare provision?

Gary Anderson lives in Bath.