While the fate of the Iraqi constitution won't be clear until all votes are counted in the coming days, the strong and broad-based voter turnout in last weekend's referendum once again offers up a lesson in democracy.

Like so many elements of a democratic process, the Shiite- and Kurdish-driven constitution is the product of long, arduous and often heated debate.

And the document is far from perfect. It falls woefully short, for example, on women's rights and the rights of Sunni Arabs.

But what it does provide is an effective starting point for compromise and for more equitable changes down the road. Even some of those opposed to it are said to have voted in favor, in the spirit of beginning a productive dialogue toward reform.

Just before the vote, Washington rightly helped broker an agreement where the governing parties would allow for such amendments to be made in coming months, opening the door for Sunnis to seek more equitable reform. The Shiites and Kurds must make good on that promise, should the constitution pass.

But perhaps the most inspirational lesson here is that so many Iraqis turned out to decide their own political and social future. About 15.5 million of Iraq's 26 million people were registered to vote. In January's election, voter turnout reached 60 percent; turnout this time around could top 66 percent, election officials said.

That's impressive.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made precisely the right point in saying that it would not be a crisis if the constitution failed because this referendum shows the democratic process in Iraq appears to be alive and well.