The results are in. Let’s trust them.

In what has been deemed a “blue wave,” an apparent turning of the tide in American politics, Democratic candidates have flipped enough seats to win control in congress.

For some, the results of the midterms have been cause for celebration — for others, frustration or anxiety. But regardless of where one’s political leanings lie, it is important that we maintain trust in one another, and trust in the U.S. electoral process.

According to an October report from Gallup, polling showed Americans divided on the issue of electron integrity as the midterms approached. Forty-nine percent of Americans reported feeling confident in electoral honesty, while 51% did not feel confident, the report says. However, the organization noted that this kind of distrust in U.S. elections among Americans is not new, with an average of 45% of voters expressing distrust since 2006.

Similarly, The Associated Press reported in October that, in a joint poll with the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, less than half of U.S. voters were revealed to have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in elections.

This year, a divide has taken place along party lines, with 63% of Democrats expressing honesty in election integrity compared to just 37% of Republicans and 35% of independents, Gallup reported.

The Associated Press reported that electoral trust among Republicans has climbed since Donald Trump’s return to power, with about 38% of GOP voters expressing “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the results this year, up from 26% in 2022. Meanwhile, independents have remained consistent at a lower level of trust, and Democrats’ trust — while it has remained higher than that of Republicans or independents — has waned, dropping from 75% in 2022 to 55% this year, the organization reported.

These changes in trust are not entirely unwarranted. The U.S. has witnessed political turmoil and polarization in recent years that has changed the way we talk about politics. Skepticism, for many, is a natural response. But too much of it can be dangerous.

In the days following the midterm elections, discussion has already cropped up online in some circles debating the legitimacy of the results. According to recent reports from journalists covering the White House, President Donald Trump has begun once again casting doubts on the results and electoral integrity, reviving past claims about corruption and rigged elections.

Our nation has seen firsthand how dangerous this kind of doubt can be. In 2020, after Trump falsely claimed he had in fact won the presidential election, a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol. This blatant and frightening attempt to overturn the lawful results of a U.S. election is not something we should easily forget. It is certainly not something we should repeat.

U.S. voters can rest assured that while no system is perfect, our country’s voting system is safe. As mail-in voting rose in popularity following the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns have been voiced about the security of mailing in ballots. However, many scholars and officials have assured voters that this method of voting does not tarnish electoral integrity. For example, in an October interview shared by the Harvard Kennedy School, Stephen Richer, a former top election official and a lecturer and senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, said “mail-in voting is safe, secure and effective.”

Similarly, the American Bar Association published an article titled “Understanding American Elections and Why They Are Trustworthy,” outlining the electoral process and its many layers of oversight, from bipartisan involvement in the process to institutional checks and balances. While voter fraud happens in some individual cases, the article says its effect is “incapable of swaying election results.”

While there still may be many woes in the American political sphere for voters to remain concerned about, the safety of their votes is not currently one of them.