So far, the 2016 election has been like something out of a movie. A rigged party, terrifying candidates, the list goes on and on. Many people are torn this election; should we vote for a corrupt Democrat, or a terrifying Republican? Some people have chosen another option: the third party candidate. This year, it's Gary Johnson, a Libertarian who believes in pro-choice and legal weed.

And if you vote for him, you're wasting your vote completely. This might seem harsh. It might seem wrong. But there is far too much at stake this year for me to be anything but harsh.

Here's what voting for a third party will do: put in office the candidate that you don't want. I, personally, am a Hillary supporter. She wasn't my first choice, but she is the best option we have this year. If I decided that I didn't like her enough to vote for her, and voted for Johnson instead, my vote would essentially be going to Trump. The opposite is true as well. If you're a Republican who votes for Johnson, your vote goes to Hillary, although I won't complain about that.

One of the main issues I have with voting third party is the privilege that it roots from. People who vote third party do so because they can afford to do so, because they won't be hurt (or don't think they'll be hurt) by Trump or Clinton winning. They vote to make a statement about society, that neither of these candidates is up to their standards, so they'll vote for the candidate they believe to be best even if he has no chance of winning. They can afford to waste their vote. Women, queer people, people of color... they cannot afford to waste this vote in such an important year. A vote not for Clinton at this point is a vote against minorities, a vote that hurts so many people. I know that, as a cis white woman, I come from a place where I have some privilege, but as a bisexual working class person, Trump would make my life incredibly difficult.

Another issue I have with Gary Johnson is more of a recent development: he has no idea what is going on in our world. In an interview on Thursday, when asked how he thinks we should handle the refugee crisis in the war-torn Syrian city Aleppo, replied with a question of his own: 'What is Aleppo?' How can you honestly vote for a candidate with this little knowledge of foreign affairs? Aleppo has been at the center of our foreign issues, and the fact that a potential president didn't know that is horrifying.

I know that this isn't going to stop people from voting third party. I know I didn't even touch on the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, as most people consider her completely out of the race. I know that this article is going to offend or hurt or rile up all sorts of emotions. But please, no matter what you feel, give my words a thought and consider choosing the Democratic or Republican candidate instead of a third party candidate. Your vote is so important, don't put it to waste.