It’s been over a month since the presidential election, and by all accounts, Americans seemed to be highly passionate about their respective candidates. The election was this year’s most talked about event on Facebook. President Obama’s Twitter account saw unprecedented traffic, with his victory tweet becoming his most retweeted ever. Outside of social media, U.S. voters believed this election mattered more than most, with seven in 10 reporting the outcome was of more importance than four years ago.

In addition, both sides of the table had dedicated staffs and volunteers pulling for them, some working 14-hour days for months. Donations to each candidate were also high, with almost a billion dollars raised on both sides of the table. 

It’s obvious Americans would be more vocal during an important election year. However, one question still remains to be answered: Does this vocalism and this drive to be heard wane after election day? Do the updates on social media sites fall flat? Do the volunteers go away? Do people stop caring?

According to the New York Times, the election did little to change the status quo of the country. America still has the same fundamental problems. With the election over, the attention given to these issues has predictably waned. The media hype has decreased.

Though the media attention to crucial issues has diminished, citizens still care. There is just not the same urgency there was before. The Facebook messages are less frequent, we cut back on volunteering, and donations aren’t as extravagant as they once were. Our need to be vocal fades with the election.

Unfortunately, America’s problems never fully go away after the first week in November. They stay ingrained in our country until they are solved, impacting each and every one of us. We become angry our politicians have quieted. We bash the pundit who has a conciliatory opinion. We wish things were different. But, what are we doing about it? How do we make a difference with the same passion and vigor that we had leading up to the election?

We give ourselves the avenue to do so.

Think about it: The reason we were so connected to the presidential candidates was because they were standing up for our desires, making them known. If we could advocate for these issues in some other bold manner, it would be obvious that we care just as much the day after the elections.

Thankfully, resources like PeopleCount.org are on the fast-track to making this happen. On our site, the public can constructively share their views and see where all people stand on national issues. Our representatives, too, can see our views. With both us and them knowing what we want and expect, this communication platform allows us to hold our representatives accountable.

In the end, the PeopleCount.org system is exactly what our country needs: an honest, open and non-partisan gateway to learn about current issues, voice our opinions, and present our stands to ourselves and our politicians  It’ll then be obvious that we still care and still stand strong behind what we want for the country.

What do you think? Do you believe people stop caring after election day? What are some other solutions?