Turning 18 and being able to vote is a huge milestone in the life of every American. The ability to be able to have a say in our country's fate is definitely not something that should be taken lightly. As a teenager, I admittedly was never too involved in politics; I knew the basics, but didn't do too much research into local candidates, let alone presidential ones. I thought that I would be more interested once I could actually vote. Now that I am nineteen, I am able to cast my vote in the upcoming November election, and I am definitely more interested, but not for the best reasons. The 2016 election is my first election, but I almost wish it wasn't.
This election, according to many, is unlike any other our country has experienced, and not in a good way. Usually, there are the two candidates from the two major parties, and although sometimes there is a clear frontrunner, both candidates are people who have spread their name in politics and, up until now, they have both been male.
This election is obviously different in that we have the first female candidate ever from a major political party. Never did I ever think that would happen in this decade, let alone right after electing the first African American president to office. The fact that I have the chance to elect a female president is so exciting, yet not what I expected for my first election. Many people have an issue with this candidate, and wouldn't vote for her regardless of the historical event that would occur if she was elected.
But mainly, the 2016 election is different because we are judging the candidates in a way that has never really happened before. Instead of looking into their past political achievements, their policies on important issues, their potential veteran status, and more, we seem to be focusing on them as people rather than politicians. While there are pros and cons to this approach, it undoubtably creates a different kind of election.
Instead of voting for the person who encourages all the beliefs and values that you do, it seems to be about voting for the one who is morally or ethically a "better" person. The public cares more about infidelity, lies, and scandals than public policies or stances on sexualities and genders. The allegations that fly around both candidates surrounding their backgrounds and personal lives are far deeper than they have ever been in previous elections. It also seems that it's about picking the lesser of two evils: is your candidate a better person than mine?
Similar to how celebrities are broken down when rumors begin to swirl around their personal lives, our presidential candidates have become humanized in the same way. No longer is the most important man (or woman) in the country a perfect individual, they have huge flaws coming out of the woodwork. Of course, the character of the future president is extremely important; no one wants a morally corrupt president. But the focus has shifted like never before, giving Americans a much larger decision to make.
This election is different, and since it is my first one, I wish it wasn't. I wish I didn't have the overwhelming task of judging a person's character so harshly rather than judging their value as a politician and a leader who can help our country. I wish the candidates were less of celebrities whom we try to bash with unconfirmed allegations, and more of reserved politicians with private lives, whom we voted for because we believed in their ideas, not because we didn't like the scandal of the moment that surrounds the alternative.
