What do we wish for our nation to become in the next four years? A nation of solidarity? A nation united? A society where one major group of individuals makes the calls for everyone? I am not talking about the government in the previous line. It has become quite clear in the final years of President Obama’s presidency; we are currently a nation divided. Whether it be about race, sexuality, gender, economic status, etc.

It has been a nasty election season this past year or so. And as the election comes closer and closer, some individuals are still undecided. Others have decided, but I want to try to help them affirm what they have chosen or to question if there is a better path. The two major party candidates in this year’s election are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Both of these individuals have become quite unpopular in the course of a year. However, none of the third party candidates have gathered enough steam to derail either of the candidates.

I first want to address individuals who are registered to vote and aren’t or those who decided not to vote because they don’t like either of the candidates. It is your decision whether you want to vote or not. However, I want to make this one point clear. It will be quite hypocritical for you to complain about the direction of the country after this election because you as a potential voter could have changed the election results by voting but chose not to. Another group of individuals that I want to address is those who have voted third party in the early voting or those who are considering it. In a tight election like this, those who don’t vote or vote third party will be the deciding factors for this election. Third party voting is a good choice, except in our country. We have a two party system where third party participants are not widely recognized or highly considered. Also, if you remember back to the Bush vs. Gore election, many believe that Nader was the reason that Gore was unable to win the state of Florida and win the election. Who is Nader you ask? Nader was a representative from the Green Party, much like Jill Stein today. Al Gore lost the vote in Florida by 543 votes. How many votes did Nader have? 97,488. Let me ask you this question. Would Al Gore have won the presidency if the liberal or democratic vote was not split? I truly believe that he would have been president if the vote was not split. That is why anyone who I hear says that they wish to vote third party, I try to sway them away from doing it.

The next group I would like to address are those who are Democrats. As I stated in the previous paragraph, Don’t vote third party. Also, DON’T try to write in Bernie Sanders. He has stated on multiple occasions after the primary elections to not protest. He is glad to stand behind the democratic nominee, Secretary Clinton, and has urged all of his supporters to do the same. There have been many who still think it is a good idea to protest. However, if you want your values to be protected, follow the leader who championed your revolution in the primaries. Otherwise, you might as well be turning your back on Bernie. I know that there will be many Bernie supporters who will like that last comment. However, the fact of the matter is that Bernie has stated his allegiance to her and expects the same from you. It has been clearly seen that Hillary’s platform this year is basically a replica of Bernie during the primaries with a few minor changes. Plus she has the support of Elizabeth Warren, Michelle and Barack Obama, and many celebrities like Beyoncé, Ellen, Cher, Will Ferrell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Drew Barrymore, Lady Gaga, Viola Davis, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, John Legend, Amy Schumer, Anne Hathaway, Demi Lovato, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rosie O’Donnell, Steven Spielberg, Jon Bon Jovi, RuPaul, Jennifer Lopez, Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Christina Aguilera, Kate Hudson, Elton John and Morgan Freeman.

Now to the Republicans. How can a group of individuals who have “values” vote for a man like Donald Trump? The man ran a fraudulent university. He stole from the “students” of the university. The man has failed how many times in business? Steaks. Board game. Casinos. What about his bankruptcy? Four times. What about the audio released about him talking about sexually assaulting women? What about his brash comments about women? Former Miss America? Rosie? What about his statements he makes at 3am on Twitter? What about the comments about Muslims? The majority of Muslims are not extremists, just like the majority of Christians are not. However, there still are extremist Christian groups like the KKK that still exist. Yes, it is possible that extremists could come with the refugees. However, anything is possible, but do we let possibilities halt us from proceeding. I have a possibility of getting hit by a car when I step outside, but it does not stop me from going outside every day.I know one of the major concerns with Hillary is her honesty. I will admit she has some faults in judgment, but we all do, including our former and future candidates. If you think Donald Trump speaks the truth, I hate to tell you, but you are living in a fantasy. He lies just as much as Hillary, if not more. Also, his comments about the Mexicans in our country is appalling. A majority of the Mexicans here are hardworking individuals trying to have the American dream, but the path to citizenship is so long of a wait legally and such a mess. It causes individuals to have to come here illegally to survive. And it would be wrong of us as a country made up of a mixture of all people to push them out and it would be expensive. We should have compassion and accept them as citizens. Another issue with Donald Trump is that he does not believe that Global Warming or Climate Change exists. The majority of scientists and citizens of the United States believe this phenomenon does exist and is directly affecting us. Hillary Clinton has created a comprehensive plan to combat and convert to clean energy.

Without getting into fundamental differences between individuals, it is clear this election that it will be close and every vote matters. This election will decide the legacy of America for future generations. Please go out and vote!