While it’s not clear what the long-term repercussions will be, the immediate reaction of “Brexit” was the resignation of the UK prime minister, volatility in stock markets globally, and dissension between Great Britain (who voted to leave) and Scotland and Northern Ireland (who voted to stay).

What’s striking is how many British voters expressed surprise that the referendum passed. Many weren’t sure exactly what they were voting on or that their vote would count. Some said their decision was based on tangential, emotion-laden issues, and that they weren’t sure what it would actually mean to leave the EU.

Yet every vote *did* count. The final tally was less than 52% to leave, more than 48% to remain.

Here in the US, we have our own big election looming in November. Let this be a lesson to us that we need to go beyond the media hype and understand the implications of what a victory for each candidate will mean for the country.

And we need to take our responsibility seriously. Because as our friends in the UK have just shown us, every vote really does count.