Tuesday, Nov. 3 was an unprecedented Election Day. Americans exercised their rights to be heard in a participatory democracy amid the risks of the coronavirus and threats of civil unrest, spread by social media.

Uncertainty and anxiety over the wait for official results have been the main topic of discussions among students and faculty during Zoom meetings.

The process of counting votes is long but necessary, as it ensures that democracy works.

According to an article published by the Washington Post on Nov. 4, President Trump declared a premature victory, even though millions of ballots had yet to be counted, discrediting the U.S. election system’s validity.

Trump said, “We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.”

President Trump made his remarks early morning on Nov. 4, not long after his opponent Joe Biden spoke to his supporters, encouraging them to keep faith in the process and urged that all votes be counted.

Biden told his supporters Wednesday afternoon on Nov. 4, “I’m not here to declare that we’ve won, but I am here to report that when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners.”

Votes are still being counted across the country. The counting process on a regular year is not straightforward, and this year it is likely to take even longer because of the challenges of the global pandemic and a large number of mail-in votes.

It is essential to understand the process to avoid the risk of spreading or believing misinformation. The U.S. election system allows states more than a month to count legally cast ballots.

Trust the process, all votes matter and need to be counted. Democracy is worth the wait.