Recounts are a cornerstone of democracy. They legitimize the electoral process and cause little to no harm to the states in which they are required. This is especially pertinent after an election where the legitimacy of the electoral process recounts help reassures the public that the system isn’t broken.

President-elect Donald Trump has gone as far to rant on Twitter about the possibility of over a million fraudulent votes being counted in favor of Hillary Clinton. It is ironic, however, that this tweet was used to mock the attempts to gain a recount in the three key states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, when it in fact endorses the idea of a recount.

No one person in the Clinton campaign believes this recount will result in her winning the presidency, but with certain states being lost by less than 15 thousand votes a recount is part of a healthy political process. Democrats have accepted that Trump has indeed won the presidency and, in some instances, have begun to believe he could be a good president.

While no one can truly predict what the next four years will bring, it is dangerous to become lenient and stop being active in this process. The recount keeps people involved so that they don’t fall into dull acceptance, leaving the door wide open for poor policy choices.

This is especially important as Trump’s cabinet picks and business dealings have been overshadowed by his rants on Twitter and other vapid stories that aren’t truly important, allowing citizens to ignore their chance to be part of the political process and let their representative and senators know how they feel.

The country has to spend the next four years with a Trump administration, recount or not. It is important to remain active and aware of the actions he is taking regardless of the pop culture interest stories that are flooding the news waves. If we want to prevent a candidate from ever winning the popular vote but losing the election again, we must continue to be involved in the political process.

In fact, the power of protestors and citizens being active within the political process has been proven this past week at Standing Rock. While the Electoral College made some voters worry that they don’t matter, actions and success stories like this prove that every voice does in fact count.

Jesse Saunders is the President of the Hofstra Democrats

The views and opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section are those of the authors of the articles. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.