Ever think that George Washington might roll over in his grave if he saw today’s United States of America?

You certainly wouldn’t be alone.

This year’s election cycle has left many scratching their heads — wondering how it got this way — or throwing their hands up altogether.

Starting at the top, there’s the choice between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Sure, there are die-hard supporters on both sides, but many voters find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. Between Trump’s political inexperience and volatile demeanor, and Clinton’s ongoing email scandal and the possible consequences, the choices are less than stellar.

As with every election cycle, the journey to the polls is messy and escalates quickly, but it seems as if the 2016 round has been especially nasty.

The same dilemma voters face at the national level can be found at the local level, as well. There has been plenty of name-calling, reputation-smearing and questionable actions in the Beaufort County races.

The county now finds itself in the middle of a lawsuit brought by the state NAACP, in which the NAACP alleges voters are being wrongfully removed from voter rolls. An incident also occurred Wednesday at the county Board of Elections office, allegedly involving threats and attempted voter fraud.

Enough is enough.

This year’s election cycle has gotten out of hand. The cynics may scoff, but American voters and candidates should be held to higher standards at all levels of government. When voters are able to shrug off some of the occurrences that have happened during this election, a real problem rears its head.

Unfortunately, there’s not much to do about it with the election four days away. Americans have hopefully learned their lesson for the 2020 round, but in the meantime, they should not shy away from holding the candidates and elected officials accountable. If there ever was a time when a rebound was needed, it is now. Make careful decisions on Tuesday.

Voters — and democracy as a whole — deserve better than this.