I'm a Democrat who will proudly be casting my vote for Hillary Clinton this year. She represents me, my ideas for the future of our country, and the prior success matched with a future promise I believe our 45th President should possess. She's been fighting for women, children, immigrants, minorities, and Americans across the board for decades, serving as a First Lady, a Senator, and a Secretary of State. Today and always, I'm with her.

While I could go on, I won't. Today, I want to talk about a hot topic sweeping across social media and news outlets everywhere — third party candidates.

While I would love to encourage as many people as possible to join my side of the aisle, I don't believe in trying to contradict the integrity of a human being. Yes, I love a good debate. Heated discussions never hurt anyone. With that said, there seems to be a fine line this year between standing by your cause and being downright ugly. Unless you're a Democrat with a considerable tolerance of establishment or a Republican totally okay with eliminating the word "conservative" and the phrase "Party of Lincoln" from your political party's description, 2016 is not the ideal election year for you.

Hear me loud and clear: We have to stop trying to bully people into voting for Hillary or Donald when they express their desire to vote the third party. People should vote for the candidate they believe represents them best. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Here are five reasons you must stop degrading third party voters:

1. People should be able to stand by their beliefs unapologetically.

This is the great thing about democracy: We can state an opinion, stand by it, and not find ourselves in trouble because of it. I'm tired of people from both political parties playing "election police" for people who have all the sense in the world to decide which candidate they identify with best. We must stop throwing out the "wasted vote" idea and the silly rants like, "You're going to make my candidate lose and you'll regret it!" Sorry, folks, but people typically don't regret following their conscience when it comes to any decision, including the decision on which candidate to vote for. If a voter casts their ballot for someone they trust and genuinely support, the vote is absolutely not wasted. Yes, a major party candidate may have to take the fall for it, but isn't that the point of an election? Somebody always has to win, and somebody always has to lose!

2. 2016 is a particularly polarizing election year.

Can you really blame people for not voting for one of the two major parties when both of the candidates are high profile, often notoriously recognized individuals? Hillary Clinton is bogged down with years worth of controversy. Donald Trump has made his campaign trail into a traveling circus. I cannot act like the people jumping ship from a major party are acting out of line. A lot of them are just fed up with story after story about Clinton and insult after insult from Donald.

3. Many voters probably have more in common with third party candidates than they think.

Gary Johnson is the main third party candidate that has gotten a lot of people talking. Being the political guru I am, I investigated Gary Johnson right as he began an insurgence into the 2016 race. I certainly cannot say I align with him across the board, but there were surprising areas where I found myself becoming a fan of Johnson. When it comes to women's rights and immigration, I like Johnson's stances. I would encourage anyone (no matter political affiliation) to check out what exactly the third party candidates are promoting in their campaigns. You just may be enlightened.

4. Third party candidates have prior national success.

I'm not kidding either! We cannot ignore the fact that third party candidates have made waves before. Take Ross Perot in 2000 for example. No, Ross Perot didn't win, but he definitely brought millions of Americans together in the face of major party frustrations. He made a mark in a particularly interesting election year that was leaning in the direction of Al Gore, which, as we all know, didn't go as planned. Third party candidates are no laughing matter.

5. Every great movement starts as the efforts of only a few.

If it isn't hard, it isn't worth it. A day just may come when a third party candidate wins President. The thing about it is, that day definitely won't come if third party voters decide to ignore their ability to make a change. Just like every other great movement in America, it starts with just a handful of people. If the cause is promoted enough and the people believe in their potential, something big just may happen.

If you're a Hillary supporter, great. If you're a Trump supporter, great (let's talk though). If you're a third party candidate supporter, great. Regardless, get to the polls in November and practice the right so many valiant men and women have fought in harm's way for you to have. This election is yours, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.