Happy week 11, Pioneers! Midterms are officially over. It is hard to believe there is less than two weeks until we reach Thanksgiving break.

The general elections are over as well. We hope you had the chance to practice your right to vote, whether in person or by mail. This election was a big one for Allegheny County, and if you are registered to vote here, then we hope your voice was heard.

With that being said, certain candidates that you may have wanted to become elected, may not have, but that does not mean the election was not properly held. We need to accept the election results regardless of the outcome and our personal biases.

Every elected official, of both parties, owes it to our democracy to speak out against any attempts to undermine the integrity of our election system and undermine public confidence in whoever is declared the winner, but this should only happen if there is concrete evidence, not based on a rumor or conspiracy. We have seen the direct consequences of feeding into such narratives.

If the previous elections have left us with any lessons to be had, it should be a greater appreciation for election officials and the work that they do. Election officials are doing their jobs with integrity and transparency, with observers from both major parties in every counting room to validate the process. Poll workers and counters work a very long day on election day and not accepting the election results directly dismisses the work that they do, putting them under unnecessary scrutiny. Plus, any reasonable amount of error would be addressed and taken care of before there is any chance of doubt in the final polling results. It’s time we come together to recognize and respect the will of the people and begin to move forward as a state and as a country.

We must accept the results of the elections, even if the candidate we support does not win. As unfortunate as it may be that your candidate of choice was not who gets to hold office, you must remember that others may have had different wants from what someone else voted for. We the people choose our leaders, and we should appreciate our democracy. Politicians don’t decide the results of elections; voters do.