Within the last month, I turned nineteen. This means that come this presidential election I have the opportunity to vote. For a long time, I considered bowing out on voting. The outraged reactions I received from friends and family alike were morbidly hilarious and they’re responses were memorable:
“Do you know how hard women fought to give you the privilege to vote?”
”Do you know how hard black people fought to give you the privilege to vote?”
“If you don’t vote, then you cannot complain about anything that happens after the election because you didn’t contribute.”
I watched all the candidates, Republican and Democrat alike, sharing their views and plans for the country with American citizens on national television. Cruz, Carson, Trump, Clinton, and Sanders are the names that most people–or at least I–tend to remember. All of their opinions differed and I found myself disagreeing with all of them. I was raised to believe that to cast one’s vote is to put the person who best represents your views into office.
I didn’t see any representation of me in any of those candidates. So I registered to vote, and declared myself, not a Democrat or Republican, but an Independent.
As my senior year came roaring to an end, arguments about politics broke out in our Economics and American Government classes. There were the die-hard Trump supporters, some educated on facts and some ignorant to them. There were offended children with immigration in the background of their families. There were feminists, in name or in opinion, arguing against patriarchal ideals. There were Bernie supporters who could only see “Free College” in their sightline. And our teachers who didn’t give any opinions of their own, but simply facts and the cold hard truths about the way our government works.
By this point it was clear to everyone that the real contenders in the presidential race were Trump, Clinton, and Sanders.
One of my friends, in one of his most quotable moments, even stated, “No matter who wins, we’re screwed.”
All of this combined, honestly scared “not going to vote” me. I wanted to vote, but at the same time I would hate myself for settling on the one I disliked least. “Dislike least” does not equal “like most”. But after a long talk with the parent of a friend, I finally came to a decision that would work for me when the time to vote came around.
As I write this, we are down to two candidates: Trump and Clinton.
I believe in equal opportunity for all genders, but I’m not voting for Hillary Clinton.
I hold conservative ideals, but I’m not voting for Donald Trump.
I’m taking a third option and voting Libertarian.
Do I honestly believe my candidate is going to win? I have hope, but no not really. Our media, as wonderful as it is, treats the presidential race as a two-party event. I haven’t heard the words “Libertarian” or “third-party” on the news once during high priority reports on the election.
Despite this, I am proud of the choice I’ve made. I can sleep at night knowing I voted, I allowed my voice to be heard even if it’s only a whisper compared to the Democratic and Republican roars. And whatever the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election, I can know that my conscience is clear in the matter and that it is possible to talk about this election with insulting someone I don’t agree with.