Our deepest gratitude and esteem go to the seven U.S. Representatives who courageously stood up for democracy during the recent joint session of Congress and objected to the certification of the Electoral College vote.

Their objections are supported by the millions of Americans who just witnessed a perfect storm of voter suppression, political corruption, and foreign intervention in the 2016 presidential election.

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These bold House members took their oaths to heart "to support and defend the Constitution ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” and their patriotism will not be forgotten.

Sometimes we have to take a risk to stand up for what is right, even when the Speaker of the House and Senate leadership laughs off the idea. The American people are not laughing.

We were appalled at the lack of leadership displayed by the Senate on January 6th. Not a single Senator stood with their colleagues in the House to force a congressional discussion on the issues mentioned above.

Last objection came from Maxine Waters (D-CA) “Is there one United States senator who will join me?” — Unite For America (@uniteamericaorg) January 6, 2017

Instead, "We should move forward," "The Electoral College certification is procedural," and "There are better uses of our time," were oft-heard phrases from the staff of many senators’ offices when asked if the senator would support the Representatives and co-sign an objection.

Despite the tidal wave of constituents who called their offices over the past few days to voice their support of an objection, the Senate did not listen. For them, it's just business as usual.

Our current state of government is anything but usual. To be crystal clear about what happened on January 6th: Congress certified the illegitimate election of an unprecedentedly unstable and unqualified president under the influence of foreign powers. This election represents a significant departure from and violation of democratic norms that guide our Republic and the values of most Americans in the following ways:

An assault on the freedom to vote in a free and fair election where every citizen can cast a ballot to pick their politicians, not the other way around



The ascension of white nationalists into the White House, who do not believe that all men and women are created equal



The influence of the Russian government in our American elections, which are supposed to be a tool for the American people, not a geopolitical weapon.

We need to make it impossible to normalize this new era of un-American government, despite our senators' best efforts to make this current state of affairs the “new normal.”

.@realDonaldTrump needs to be #unPresidented. Tell Congress to hold hearings - sign the petition! https://t.co/ABIs7fxRmW — Unite For America (@uniteamericaorg) December 22, 2016

The Democratic senators divided themselves from their constituents and their House colleagues on January 6th. They did this because they wanted to be above the fray. This is elitism. At the end of the day, this same elitism is what got Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE elected.

Let us be clear, so that the members of Congress in that joint session know the stakes: Democrats who fail to show backbone will be replaced by those with the courage to stand up to Donald Trump. Republicans who put party loyalty before duty to country will share the same fate.

The pervasive divide between the agendas of those in power and the will of the people have marked our politics for too long, now with catastrophic results. This divide must be confronted relentlessly and closed once and for all. To do this, everyday Americans are coming together to overhaul the Democratic and Republican parties with new leaders who truly represent and listen to our communities.

Unite for America, in partnership with a powerful new coalition of conservative voices from the New Conservative Movement and progressive populists like Americans Take Action, is leading the charge for election reforms that will allow Americans to take back both parties.

Our top priority is restoring free and fair elections unimpeded by foreign influence, removing barriers that keep citizens from running for public office, and updating our electoral process so that the American people have the power to choose who represents them, rather than being forced to choose between party insiders and incumbent politicians.

We need to reboot our elections with a new operating system so that gridlock, partisan posturing, and obstruction are no longer the norm. By working together and winning on this critical issue in 2017, it will open the floodgates for changes Americans across the political spectrum want to see in our country and our political system.

This movement is already underway, beginning now with our 2017 local elections, and culminating in 2018 when 33 Senate seats are up for reelection.

A new dawn for American politics is on the horizon. Will you join us?

Jon Gedney is a national organizer for Unite for America, Ryan Clayton is president of Americans Take Action, Chris Suprun was a 2016 presidential elector for the state of Texas, Michael Baca is the co-founder of the Hamilton Electors and Tom Hancock, PhD is a national grass roots organizer for the New Conservative Movement.

The views of Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill