The peaceful transfer of power, a central feature of a functioning democracy and an experience most Americans have long taken for granted, is far from a given no matter what happens between now and Nov. 5, let alone in the weeks that follow.

The contest between former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominees for president and vice president, versus Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, their Democratic counterparts, is expected to be close — tipped, perhaps, by mere hundreds of votes cast in a handful of swing states (the drama amplified as recounts inevitably delay the final tally) under our Electoral College system. But the United States has weathered close elections before. What makes this year different is Jan. 6, 2021, and the storming of the U.S. Capitol, Trump’s continued denial of the 2020 election outcome and the heated rhetoric that has been a hallmark of this election with its misrepresentations, racist rants and extreme polarization.

Polls show there are concerns about potential post-election violence across the political spectrum, but it’s not proportionate. The greatest worry is that Trump supporters will not accept the results if Harris is declared the winner. No shock there. Trump has encouraged that exact outlook. Why would he concede in 2024 when he and his closest GOP allies still haven’t conceded the 2020 election despite all the disproven claims of fraud?

Harris, who hasn’t been shy in her criticism of Trump, has nonetheless staked higher ground. Even at Tuesday’s speech outside the White House intended to summon painful reminders of Trump’s exhortations that led to the attack on the Capitol, she called for a “different path” not for “more chaos” or “more division.” Small wonder that while 4 in 10 registered voters say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about violent attempts to overturn the results, just 1 in 10 Democrats believe Trump will accept the outcome if he loses, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

In the words of the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Baltimore civil rights advocate and lawyer who once drew Trump’s ire for criticizing his border policies, “We are better than this.” Robust debate is one thing. Peaceful protests have their place. But denial of facts is quite another. There are words to describe politicians who abuse their power to lie, cheat, steal and goad their supporters into thoughtless acts of criminal behavior. Most are unfit for publication. But here’s the one that stands apart: It’s un-American. In the critical and potentially history-making days ahead, let us honor our Constitution and our core values instead.