The United States presidential elections are approaching at an alarming rate, with 25% of voters still undecided on who to vote for. Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump? Democrat or Republican? Who is the lesser of two evils in this race and would cause the least amount of damage to this great country?

I asked a small pool of college students about their initial thoughts and I received mixed answers;

What do you think when you hear the word "Democrat"?

"I agree with most of what they say."

"I used to identify as a Democrat, but recently changed to Libertarian. I think that a lot of the Democratic party is corrupt, just as the Republican party is."

"Bernie Sanders."

"Attempting equality."

"Social."

"Obama."

"Stronger together."

"Everyone my age."

What do you think when you hear the word "Republican"?

"I think most of them are a**holes."

"I generally automatically go to the stereotype; racist and privileged white male. I know this isn't all of them, but that's what's portrayed in most news outlets and generally who speaks the loudest from the party."

"Conservativeness."

"Old ideas."

"Conservative."

"Old people."

"Rich people."

"Where are the social rights at"

What do you think of Donald Trump?

"Things I'm probably not allowed to say in an Odyssey article."

"I think that people want a change and someone who is honest and not a stereotypical politician. I don't think voting Trump is the right way to go about it."

"Racist, sexist, a**hole."

"When I hear "Donald Trump" my mind immediately thinks that the US might actually have a Hunger Games."

Another student had some choice words that I'll leave to your imagination.

"Why."

"Orange."

"I'd like to build a wall around him."

"How did he make it this far?"

What do you think of Hillary Clinton?

"Qualified."

"I don't think she is who she says she is. She jumps around a lot."

"Better than Trump."

"Flawed."

"A woman."

"How did she make it this far?"

In the end, people aren't satisfied or happy with the Presidential front runners, but were the same students knowledgeable in their other options? I asked them about their views of the third party candidate gaining the most momentum, Libertarian party candidate Gary Johnson. One polled student even said the following; "I waited my entire life for this election because this will be the first time I vote, and now I don't want to be part of what happens this year."

What do you think when you hear the word "Libertarian"?

"For the people."

"Small government and constitutional liberties. Freedom and equality. The government stays out of the lives of the citizens for the most part, honestly."

"I've never heard of them."

"A happy medium."

"I think of my sister."

"Liberty."

"As Hannah Montana might say, the best of both worlds."

"A third party."

"In the middle."

What do you think of Gary Johnson?

"Seems ok."

"The most promising presidential candidate in the race with the most chance of beating Trump or Clinton."

"Who?"

"He likes weed."

"5%."

"America is f'd over by a dominantly two party system so good luck to him."

"Who is that?"

"I don't know his plans or anything tbh."

Citizens across the nation aren't nearly as informed as they should be, leaving them with the idea that they have no option but to vote for the lesser of two evils. However, as presidential nominee Gary Johnson stated at the most recent Libertarian Town Hall, a vote for lesser evil is still a vote for evil. This is an election cycle full of surprises, leaving voters with an unprecedented level of dissatisfaction with the major two party candidates that they have been handed.

If you go back and watch the Libertarian Town Hall, which aired on CNN August 3rd and was trending on Twitter throughout the duration of it, you will see two former Republican governors who were voted in by their Democratic states two terms in a row. You will hear them dismiss name-calling, keeping the focus on the plentiful amount of issues that our country faces. You will receive a breath of fresh air within an election cycle that has held a similarity to a reality television show throughout its entirety.

In the most recent poll releases as of August 5th, Gary Johnson polled at an average of 13%. He requires an average of 15% to gain his spot on the national stage during the debates. When asked about recent polls, Johnson seemed frustrated. "It's still one out of five polls, one out of six polls that we're in. Every day you'll see a poll—40 for Hillary, and 39 for Trump—well, where's the other 21?"

In a time where we are all so dissatisfied, it's time to look into other options. Johnson provides the fiscal wants that the Republican party requires, and the social tolerance that the Democratic party focuses on. He's the best of both worlds, and in comparison is an overwhelmingly sane alternative to Trump or Clinton. His ticket vice president, Governor Bill Weld, was one of the first republican politicians to openly support LGBTQ+ rights, leading bills and executive orders back in the early 90's. These two former governors are used to leading change, hold the experience required for such a high ranking position in government, have an astonishing lack of scandals, and are real and honest. They're just what Americans require and deserve.

What other presidential candidate will openly say "I may not be correct, but this is what I think...", will admit he has made mistakes, will tell you the honest and unfiltered truth about his opinions? Where else will you see a president who leads by example, who is an extreme athlete (he even scaled the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents), who has a strong political AND successful business background (without scandals).

Stay informed, stay up to date, and don't forget to vote.

Remember, a wasted vote is a vote cast for someone you don't believe in and a vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil.

You can visit Gary Johnson's official page here and see an unbiased list of his political stances here.