750 Words On "Wasting Your Vote"

Okay, I know you're getting tired of hearing about the presidential race. Trust me, with the way it's going, I am too. But there are so many important things happening in our country right now, that no one should be in the dark. With less than 60% of the votes in California counted, Hillary Clinton has cinched a false victory, and is claiming the Democratic nomination. On the other side, Donald Trump has been consistently sweeping states left and right, causing his opponents to drop out and leave him with the Republican nomination. It's an interesting scenario, considering both presumptive nominees have approval ratings significantly lower than ANY President EVER. Observe:

As you can see, Trump is rated "strongly unfavorable" by over HALF of the United States population! Hillary is pushing 40 percent herself. And yet, here we are, with two dominant-party candidates who no one likes. Bummer.

Ever since the California Primary, more and more supporters of underdog Democrat Bernie Sanders have been switching sides to support one of these two candidates. Many Republicans who would have preferred Cruz or Rubio are jumping ship and throwing reluctant support behind Trump as well. But, there are those of us who refuse to vote for the "lesser of two evils." Instead, we believe in the rise of the third-party in 2016, whether it be Independent, Green, or Libertarian. And you know what people tell us?

"You're wasting your vote. Please don't do that."

Pardon the expression, but that pisses me off. Seriously. Let me explain why.

I think everyone should fight for what they believe in. If you are truly passionate about something, don't give up on it. This goes for your career, your personal values, and definitely the way you vote. I am not going to put my vote into someone I do not believe is fit to be our Commander in Chief. I am not going to vote for someone whose stances change with the wind, or someone who is being investigated by the FBI for serious offenses. I am not going to vote for someone because "I shouldn't want {insert unfavorable candidate here} to win."

For reference, I am a registered Democrat. No, I don't want Trump to win. But I don't want Hillary to win either. And people tell me - Democrats tell me - I'm "wasting my vote," if I decide to vote third-party for a candidate who is still fighting for my values. Newsflash, America; I'm not wasting my vote. Instead, I'm voting for the person I believe will do the best job in office - the person who is most qualified and who I would feel comfortable calling Madam or Mister President.

You know what I think? I think voting for someone you disagree with is wasting your vote. I think that when you go into that booth, and mark a name that you didn't really want to mark, and you walk out of there uneasy about who you just voted for, that is wasting your vote. America was built on this thing called freedom, right? Freedom of this, freedom of that. It's my freedom to vote for who I believe is best. I will not have that taken away from me by close-minded voters who will try and bully me into submission. No; THEY are the ones wasting their votes. If just half the people who liked Johnson or Stein over Trump or Clinton voted the way they felt, instead of the way they were told, the third-party could become the reigning party. If more people would "waste their vote," we wouldn't be stuck with a president that nearly half of the country hates.

So, as a proud, educated voter, I will continue to "waste my vote," and I will continue to live free and feel good about what I put on my ballot. I will not feel guilty for the situation I vote my country into, because I will know that what I did was my decision, and it was the right one.