In the 2016 election, people are more disgusted than ever about the choice that they have for president. The thought of electing either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, two of the most controversial candidates to ever grace the political platform, have made many people ponder the idea of voting for a third party candidate. In fact, according to the Boston Globe, 43 percent of Democrats are unhappy with the choice of Clinton, and 40 percent of Republicans are unhappy with Trump.
I admit it, I have been pondering casting a third party vote. I am not enthused with Trump or Clinton, and often find myself wondering how I will participate in my first presidential election without compromising what I personally believe in.
However, while casting a third party vote may seem tempting this year, it is actually the most detrimental thing you can do. A vote for a third party candidate is essentially a vote for the candidate that you are protesting, whether that be Trump or Clinton.
As of October 2, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has 7 percent of voters, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein has 2-3 percent, depending on which polls you look at. There has not been much fluctuation in their poll numbers throughout the race.
As much as we all wish otherwise, Stein and Johnson really have no chance at winning. Their poll numbers are not even high enough to get into the debates, which are considered a major platform for candidates to be able to pitch their ideas to the layperson.
Even if they could get into the debates, Stein and Johnson have both had their own share of press that have disqualified their ideas. Perhaps you remember Johnson's recent flub about Aleppo, or his inability to name a single foreign leader that he admires, which the media interpreted as Johnson not knowing any foreign leaders. In Stein's case, she made national headlines when she had an arrest warrant issued after protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Johnson and Stein's campaigns are giving false hope to people who feel like Clinton and Trump go against every moral ground that they stand on. We have two choices for president, and those two alone are the only candidates who have a fair chance at winning the election.
In this election, there is no time for people to be stubborn. By voting third party, or by not even voting at all, you are essentially casting a vote for the candidate you are voting against. Pick the candidate out of the two that aligns the most with your views, and cast your vote for that candidate. Don't waste your vote in this crucial election. Use your vote to get the lesser of two evils into the White House.
