The election is over, but now our country faces another big moment. Behind closed doors, some members of Congress are trying to arrange a “grand bargain”—and some are insisting on extending tax cuts for the richest 2 percent of Americans while cutting Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security benefits.

Election Day holds tremendous importance in our country, not just as the day when we vote our leaders into office, but as the symbolic cornerstone of our democracy. It is a day when all our voices are heard. No matter what you look like, how much money you make, your family’s background, or how old you are, we all have an equal say on Election Day. The openness and fairness of our voting process is what makes America the leading democracy in the world.

Solutions to big problems don’t fit on a bumper sticker.

Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated the best of America when we celebrated the Fourth of July. But not all homes were sites of celebration. These days, it’s hard to drive through neighborhoods and not notice all the shuttered homes and abandoned lawns, casualties of the foreclosures, layoffs and jobs that have moved overseas.