Is American democracy in trouble? Here are 9 ways you can help strengthen our nation.

The country feels pretty heavy on this Election Day. Polarization and political violence have increased, as have threats against candidates for office. It’s scary, and it can feel too big for any one person. 

The organization I’m part of, Search for Common Ground, works around the world, including in the United States, to reduce political violence and to support healthy democracies. We need to make systemic changes over the long term: We need to reform and rebuild trust in our fundamental institutions of democracy; our political leaders must stop inflaming polarization; and we need to address long-standing barriers to equal access and opportunity for all Americans. 

Practical ways you can help

But each one of us can help now. Based on our work in 40 countries emerging from conflict, here are nine practical ways you can contribute:

►Vote. If you're eligible, show your support for our democracy by voting. If you are volunteering to help with the election, great; if you can bring a friend to get involved in this or upcoming elections, that’s even better. 

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►Research your candidates. Know what your candidates stand for. For some elections, you can use the Common Ground Scorecard, which evaluates all members of Congress, governors and challengers for those offices by how well they embody the spirit and practice of a Common Grounder.

►Thank your poll workers. Some heroes carry clipboards, and they've gotten too many threats this election season. Polls show they are tempted to quit in high numbers. Saying “thank you” and indicating that you appreciate their efforts can go a long way.

►Find accurate information. Just because it is your worst fear doesn't make it true. And it may well be false. If you're on social media when you read that crazy article about that crazy person who did that crazy thing, verify that it is true. If it isn’t, resist the urge to share unverifiable things with your friends and family. Those who seek to weaken us depend upon you to amplify their misinformation. 

We're addicted to midterm election polls:And it's not doing us any good.

►Don't share deliberately divisive content. So, let’s say that crazy thing did actually happen – once. Does the tweet suggest that the issue is rampant, and therefore that the sky is falling? Documentation is important, and unearthing the truth is a vital part of a healthy democracy. But sending inflammatory rhetoric to 500 of your closest friends and family isn’t. Take a breath. Put down your phone. And pat yourself on the back for thwarting polarization today.  

We're more united than we seem

►Don't assume what you voted against is what they voted for. Voting in our system is binary – one candidate wins, another loses – but people aren't. Many of us have a powerful sense of what we don't want to happen in our country, and we vote, in part, to prevent it. We assume that people who voted differently from us hate what we stand for. But study after study has shown that this just isn't the case, and that in fact there are many things we agree on.  

The campaign ads are vicious:Do midterm candidates really hate each other?

►Give yourself and everyone else some space. If you need to take a beat, do it. If you're up for finding out more about someone's perspective, enter into a conversation with them. Listen first to try to understand the person's experiences, without expecting to change their mind. These conversations are about the long game, friends.   

►Celebrate the peaceful transfer of power, even if you are mourning your candidate’s loss. Inevitably, many of us will need to lick our wounds after Election Day. But if you need a reason to take heart, remember: The peaceful transfer of power through elections is a precious gift that we have had the privilege of taking for granted – one that people all over the world fight for. 

►Keep pushing. After this election, don’t lose the energy. Be passionate about what you care about and stay involved. We have serious and huge changes we need to make for all Americans to live out the promise of our opportunity. There is a difference between fighting for what you believe in and fighting each other.

Our extreme polarization is a shared problem, and we are stronger when we bend our passion and creativity toward creating an America in which we can all belong and can seek the promise of the American dream together.   

Nealin Parker is executive director of Common Ground USA, part of Search for Common Ground.