There was a lot on the line this election cycle. After a tumultuos two  years in the political sphere, many Americans saw this midterm as an opportunity to show their disapproval, or alternatively, their support, of the direction the current administration is headed.  Republican or Democrat: it is clear that this election mattered very much to many people in this country.

In West Virginia alone, early voting nearly doubled compared to the 2014 midterms election, according to data from the secretary of state’s office. There was clearly a passion pushing people to get to the polls as soon as they could.

Of the 174,506 early voters, the majority were registered Democrats, an indicator of the extreme angst many on the left feel toward the Republican-run federal government.

There have been many to say that this midterm election was the most important of their lifetime, including former president Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Maxine Waters, evangelist Franklin Graham, actors Leonardo DeCaprio and Jane Fonda and others. This has been a common phrase over the past several months,  with many, including President Obama, saying the soul of the country was at stake.

“America is at a crossroads right now,” Obama told a crowd in Illinois. “There is a contest of ideas that is going on, about who we are and what kind of country we are going to be.”

It was, even as President Trump himself put it, a referendum on how is administration is doing. 

While elections like these can stir a whole host of emotions for many people, it is important to remember that as Americans we are all on the same team. We may not always agree with what we think is best for our team, but at the end of the day, we want the country to succeed. 

The day after an election can leave some feeling sore, and others feeling a need to gloat. Let’s refrain from both. We have to get to work to make our country what it can be. Our friends and neighbors may have voted differently, but we must remember that, for the most part, what these people voted in the polls was truly what they feel was best. Friendship can transcend political ideology.

Now that the hateful political ads will be cut from the air, we need to focus on mending broken systems and broken relationships. In the words of President Abraham Lincoln:

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”