One morning, seated with other volunteers at a long table in campaign headquarters in my hometown of South Bend, Indiana, we were busy stuffing envelopes with campaign literature. Suddenly, to our great surprise, the front door opened and Senator Humphrey and his wife, Muriel, walked in. They greeted us warmly, thanked us for our help, and were quickly ushered into a meeting behind closed doors. I was twelve years old—stunned and thrilled to meet them.

About half an hour later, they emerged and walked over to our table, shaking our hands one by one. Muriel handed me a handwritten note (pictured below), which I have saved for more than sixty years. Senator Humphrey looked at us and said, “This is the most important election of our lives.”

He was right.

Their opponents, Barry Goldwater and William Miller, offered a very different vision for the future of our country. Goldwater, for example, opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which President Johnson signed into law that same year. Had the Johnson–Humphrey ticket lost, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act of 1968, Medicare and Medicaid, the War on Poverty, Head Start, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the Higher Education Act of 1965, wouldn’t have happened.

Over the decades since then, how many times have I found myself saying, “This is the most important election of our lives,” as each new election approached? I’ve often asked myself why that always seems to be true. The answer is simple: our democracy depends entirely on our continued participation in the electoral process. Every election carries consequences—for the health, evolution, and success of our democracy, for our role in the world, and for policies that profoundly affect every person living in this country.

This has never been more true than now. The 2024 election has already had a profound impact on our democracy and on policies that will shape the lives of all Americans for years to come. Our standing in the world has been fundamentally altered. And we all know that more consequential changes are coming.

It is incumbent on each of us to fully participate in the 2026 elections. That means committing time, money, and our votes—to the extent we are able. National elections for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are critical to regaining some measure of oversight and balance over the actions of the executive branch. State and local elections are equally important, especially as the President challenges voting rights and other fundamental freedoms through a state-by-state agenda of political retribution. Governors, Attorneys General, and Secretaries of State will be essential in standing up to the pressures of this administration, particularly as we approach the 2026 and 2028 elections. Likewise, as we have already seen in Minneapolis and elsewhere, mayors and city councils can sometimes be the last line of defense against aggressive—and often unlawful—federal actions.

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. The urgency of full participation in the upcoming elections cannot be overstated. This is the most important election of our lives and what happens next depends on what we choose to do now.

So, let’s get to work. Find your place. Volunteer. Organize. Donate. Vote—and help others vote. Support candidates at every level who believe in democracy and are willing to defend it. Step forward where your skills and energy are most needed and encourage others to do the same. We can do this.

Our democracy has always depended on citizens who show up, speak out, and refuse to sit on the sidelines. If we do that now we can protect what generations before us fought to secure and ensure that this great experiment in governance – our democracy – not only survives but endures. The alternative is unacceptable.