“If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”
Those were the words of a frequently shared Facebook post. They shouldn’t sting as much as they do, right? According to this quote, if I don’t vote for someone that does not stand for what I stand for, then I don’t count.
But tell me, when have I ever really counted as a person in the eyes of these candidates? To them, I am a percentage or a demographic that needs to be won over. In this entire election cycle, anything was said to try to win over the votes of scared constituents. The fear-mongering tactics executed by Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the complete opposite of what this country stands for.
So as I drove back to my hometown after a long week of college, I thought to myself about polling locations and who I would take with me to vote. I knew I had to vote because I was told by celebrities, fellow peers, and Obama himself told me to exercise my right to pick the next president of the United States of America. Except, I couldn’t bring myself to stand in line to cast a vote for someone just because the other guy is a racist, sexist fascist. I have many reasons for not voting today, and here are some:
1. I already voted in the primaries and my candidate did not win, nor does he want constituents to write him in.
I actually did vote. I just did it earlier in the year when there were more options to choose from. I still sport a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker on the back of my car from months ago. His ideas for the future deeply resonated with me. His policies on higher education, women’s health rights, and healthcare were ambitious to me, but to others it was fantasy. He didn’t end up defeating his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, and has since declared his support for her. The only problem is that I cannot support her because she has changed her stance on so many crucial issues. I have nothing but respect and admiration for Sanders, but even he could not sway me to elect someone I couldn’t totally trust.
2. I do not live in a swing state.
This isn’t the best reason to not vote, but history has proven that Texas votes red and red is the color of Donald Trump’s face when he is screaming racial slurs like a bigot. If I lived in Florida, Michigan, Nevada, or any other swing state right now, I know my vote would hold more weight. Even if history was flipped on its head in this election, I still could not say I would be content knowing we put our faith behind a candidate who is not trustworthy.
3. I cannot vote for someone just because of their sex.
I am a woman and Hillary is a woman, therefore we must share the same values, right? According to that logic, Ann Coulter and I are soul sisters (*shudders at the thought.) Clinton has taken millions of dollars from the same Wall Street she claims is robbing middle-class America. Don’t get me wrong, I would be the first person in line to see a woman becoming president for the first time in our nation’s history, just so long as that woman is consistent, honest, and fair. If we vote for a woman just because she is a woman, we are no better than someone NOT voting for Clinton because she is a woman. Her sex is arbitrary in this instance. Hillary’s record on gay rights, NAFTA, the Iraq war, and her refusal to release transcripts of speeches she made to multinational financial corporations are just a FEW of the reasons she makes me question her judgment. I respect her as a person and for her accomplishments, but I cannot say I #standwithher. I don’t believe she is the lesser of two evils, but I also don’t believe she is faithful to her voters.
4. Third-party candidates are not even close to cutting it.
If you are asking me to then consider voting for Gary Johnson, who had no idea what Aleppo was, I am asking you to consider never talking to me again. If you’re suggesting I vote for Jill Stein, you may have convinced me last week, but today you’re wasting your breath. Her presence in this election is admirable, but random. She is in last place with the other three contenders and has been given no platform on which to speak her ideas and promises for the future. Although that’s more of a reflection on the campaign system rather than her, it isn’t enough for me.
5. Fate is in the hands of the Electoral College.
The people whose votes actually matter are members of the exclusive Electoral College. They cast votes on behalf of their state and while they may claim to take their voters decisions into consideration, I am willing to bet this election is different. Donald Trump is the epitome of garbage socially, economically, and politically. He has virtually no foreign policy, a history of racially and sexually discriminatory remarks, and has the temper of a five-year old child. The other option is a candidate with a sterling resume and endorsements from affluent politicians.
6. My voice can and will be used in other ways.
I may not be exercising my right to vote, but you can be damn sure I will be using my right to free speech as a citizen and as a journalist to shed light on the truth. I will be using social media and my mind to my advantage to push for legislation of causes in which I believe. I will engage in the coming state and local level elections. And most importantly, I will vow to do better the next election. We all should.
Whatever the outcome of this election is, this country will be okay. We are the most vibrant, persevering nation in the world and even the leader of the free world cannot erase that.
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” -Nelson Mandela