For many of us, myself included, the past week was a difficult one. Beyond the initial disappointment and uncertainty of election night, I wondered: Where do we go from here?

As tempting as it may be to hide from the news and resent half of the country who elected a convicted felon and sexual predator to a second presidential term, that will not move us forward.

President-elect Donald Trump gained power by drawing on our distrust of those who disagree with us or live differently than we do.

In order to take away his power to divide us, we must learn to talk to each other again. In order to protect our democracy, we must learn to work with each other again.

Abby Wichlacz, president of the Undergraduate Political Science Association (UPSA) at the University of Minnesota, said working together is an important part of moving forward and people must learn to put negative emotions aside.

“Nobody’s going to listen to each other if they’re all angry and mad all the time,” Wichlacz said. “Creating a productive dialogue is really important.”

A primary goal of UPSA is to bring people together, regardless of political orientation, to have conversations about what is going on in the world and how change can be made, according to Wichlacz.

UPSA held an election debrief event Thursday featuring Kathryn Pearson, a political science associate professor at the University, to create a space for students to process and learn about what happened.

“A lot of people, whether they’re upset or excited about what happened, I think a lot of them are feeling this momentum, this energy,” Wichlacz said. “I really hope they put it somewhere productive like organizing or working for a campaign, doing something with their politics instead of just showing up to vote and that’s it.”

Politics is a contentious space and people have strong feelings about the issues that were at stake in this election. Given our polarization, it can be difficult to understand how we arrive at different perspectives and vote for candidates on opposite sides of the political spectrum.

Emma Weilage, co-communications director at UPSA, said we need to do more to understand each other and where our political perspectives come from. For our democracy to be supported, it is important for people to have representatives who they feel will fight for them, according to Weilage.

“I think it’s just having hope that there’s people in office that will fight for me no matter what,” Weilage said. “Whatever side you’re on there’s somebody that represents you, hopefully, in office, and that gives me hope.”

In order to elect these representatives, it is imperative that people vote, organize, campaign and get involved in any way possible. 

Michael Edwards, co-communications director at UPSA, said Vice President Kamala Harris’s respect for the results was a good sign for democracy. 

“Harris committed to a peaceful transition of power,” Edwards said. “I hope we also have a peaceful transition of power in four years.”

Trump received more than 73,692,066 votes with an estimated 92% percent counted, compared to the 2020 election when he lost with 74,224,319 votes. 

While the democratic process functioned successfully in this election, the man America elected does not respect this democratic process. 

Trump and his supporters spent the last four years spreading false claims about election fraud and gearing up to challenge the 2024 results, but when he won, none of them said a word. Fraud would only be present if Trump lost. 

So, how can we protect our democracy going forward? 

Local engagement is critical, helping ensure fair elections and electing local representatives who will govern in the people’s best interests, and people must take on leadership roles in local communities whenever possible. Voting in national elections is important, but this alone is not enough. 

Democracy does not die overnight, but it will be chipped away if we let it. We now have an even greater responsibility to be active members in determining our country’s future.

Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that democracy functioned as it should in this election, even if the results were not what many hoped for.

“Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press and those serving in our federal, state and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy,” Cheney wrote.

Trump has never been one to walk a normal path to public office, but his ability to gain loyalty and submission from voters and politicians continues to be impressive.

Trump used his felony convictions, ongoing criminal investigations, and trademark lies and conspiracy theories to build a movement transcending facts and reason. He used what would be weaknesses to others as the strengths that shaped the identity of the MAGA movement.

While Trump’s win raises concerns about how he will attempt to reshape the government, democracy is not doomed.

Democracy’s tomorrow depends on the decisions we make today and every day.

The path forward is uncertain, but we must be certain of our commitment to upholding our nation’s values. Values of democracy, press freedom and the ability to live one’s truth can outlast dark times if only we continue to fight for them.

We must look inside ourselves and find new ways to approach the obstacles we face.

Sometimes forests must burn in order to grow anew. We are at a crossroads, and for the sake of our country and the world, I hope we learn to listen to each other.