Now that the election is over and the results are in, it’s sadly not surprising to hear people all across the country call this year’s presidential election one of the most emotionally packed, historically significant elections of all time.

Along with the typical emotions associated with presidential elections, however, we members of the Editorial Board can’t help but feel saddened by the amount of race-related crimes that have erupted across the country in the weeks following the election results.

While many people throughout the country anxiously wait and look forward to the day President-elect Barack Obama is inaugurated into office, others just can’t seem to put their prejudiced beliefs aside.

Since the outcome of the election reports of race-related crimes, threats against the president-elect and even bets designed to guess the day he would be assassinated have been popping up everywhere — all pointing toward a racism that still exists in America.

In one example from The Associated Press, a district official in Rexburg, Idaho, reported an incident in which students in second and third grade chanted “Assassinate Obama!” on a school bus.

In another example, the Bangor (Maine) Daily News wrote about an incident that occurred in Mount Desert Island, Maine, where black figures were seen hanging from nooses in trees.

The story covered everything from anti-Obama messages containing racial slurs found on a campus free-speech area in North Carolina; to crosses burned in the yards of Obama supporters in New Jersey; racist graffiti sprayed on cars, high schools, and skate parks in New York, Texas and Los Angeles; and numerous violent threats and attacks everywhere against those who publicly support the president-elect.

The issue has even made it to Facebook, undoubtedly the biggest, most diverse online social networking site. According to a recent Dallas Morning News story, the University of Texas football team was attempting to move on after dismissing one of its players for posting a threatening racial slur about Obama on his personal Facebook profile shortly after the election results.

We feel these race-related crimes, threats and violent attacks on individuals are unacceptable, are harmful to our society as a whole and need to stop. We acknowledge the fact that some people are going to disagree with or dislike the new president-elect. But if you choose to disagree with him or dislike him, do so intelligently. If you don’t like Barack Obama, make sure it’s because of his policies and the decisions he makes as a president — not because of race.