Hear me out. It's nearly impossible for me to find a place to begin this article, but I guess I can begin by stating the obvious: neither of the prospective candidates are ideal, but we have to use our judgement and make the decision that is best for the future of our country. I've heard all of the backlash and I've heard, "Well, Hillary's just as bad as Trump" far too many times to count but the fact of the matter is, that's not true. I fear deeply for our country and for our people and though I'm on the long list of people who do not trust Hillary Clinton, I trust in her more than I ever would in Donald Trump. Many in my generation are in the same boat as I and as first-time voters, I'm aware that a handful of them are disappointed with the decision they have to make. For me, this is a chance to make a difference. I never thought I would actually want to vote due to a distrust in the system, but this election has me proud to be a part of a democracy and to have the ability for my voice to be heard. If nothing else, I hope this article can shed some light on topics that some readers may not have had knowledge of, and maybe it can even persuade first-time voters to make the smart choice when casting their ballot.

1. She Is Extremely Qualified

Hillary Clinton is a two-time senator, former secretary of state, former First Lady, 2008 presidential candidate, and has an extensive knowledge of politics and policy matters. She is smart, stoic, and driven. She knows what must be done and how, and has seen and executed it first-hand for many years. As First Lady, she not only involved herself in charity, but on reforming the healthcare system. Using the West Wing as her work space, she drafted a plan for health care that, in a way, set the stage for the Affordable Care Act. Though it is in no way perfect, it gives every citizen of the United States access to health care, a step in the right direction. Needless to say, Clinton knows how to run the White House.

2. She Is Politically Correct

In my opinion, it's a little (well, more than a little) ridiculous to believe that the President of the United States has no need to be politically correct. While Trump has offended millions of people and marginalized groups including Latinos, Muslims, and the disabled, Hillary is careful and full of tact when speaking. Sure, this is America and we have the right to free speech, but that does not give us the right to hurt others with it. There is a dire need for the President to be politically correct because every other country's leader is. If we want to gain the respect of our own people and of others, we must elect a leader who uses their words to their advantage rather than irresponsibly. Here are just a few examples of Trump's charming way of words:

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you…they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bring crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

"Yeah, she's really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren't happily married and, ya know, her father…" (On his daughter, Ivanka).

“Well, you know, when it comes to racism and racists, I am the least racist person there is. And I think most people that know me would tell you that. I am the least racist, I’ve had great relationships." (I'm sorry but if you have to straight out say that you aren't racist...You're probably racist).

3. She Actually Has a Plan

If you haven't visited Trump's and Hillary's websites, I'd highly recommend doing that now. The contrast between their issues pages is almost ridiculous. While Trump takes his stance in angry, less-than-one-minute-long video clips with little explanation as to what he will do or how, Hillary takes a strong stance on issues and outlines in what ways she will accomplish her goals. Sure, they aren't bullet-point perfect, but at least there is common sense. His website almost seems like a joke, if you ask me. He is hardly a professional-it appears as if he angrily typed out one-line sentences to take his stance just to throw it up there. That is not a man that we can have as our President and if you don't agree on that, I genuinely wonder why.

4. Trump Feeds on Fear

In all honesty, I don't think that Donald Trump ever had intentions of becoming the President. I think he saw an opportunity to feed on the fears of the American people and ran with it-he probably didn't think he would make it this far, but now here he stands and he has no idea what to do. He and Hillary Clinton are night and day and there is no doubt about that: he is a successful businessman who started out with a "small loan of 8-million dollars," while she is a self-made, accomplished lawyer-turned-politician. Trump speaks from emotion rather than sense and abuses people through angry tweets and impulsive outbursts. With the official nomination of Hillary Clinton as the candidate for the Democratic Party, Trump immediately turned to Bernie supporters in hopes that they would vote for him instead of Clinton when, in fact, Sanders himself urged his supporters to vote for her. Trump uses whatever he can to gain ground among voters when in reality, he is hurting himself and others in doing so. In this day and age, you can't just erase what you put out into the world, and I don't think he realizes that.

5. Any Vote Against Her Is a Vote for Trump

You'll have to hear me out on this one as well; while there are 2 third-party candidates running in this election, any vote that isn't for Clinton is essentially a vote for Trump. In the United States, there is no direct democracy--the President is essentially chosen by the electoral college. Therefore, the winner is not always the popular vote, but the vote of the electoral college delegates (each state gets 2). The delegates will pledge their loyalty to a candidate based on party affiliation, and since our country has been through many elections, states typically vote red or blue consistently. Third party candidates are not technically plausible because not every state writes them on the ballot and they hardly ever get enough votes to have a chance of winning a major election, therefore taking votes away from one of two major-party candidates. In the 2000 election, Ralph Nader got enough votes to hurt Al Gore, leading Bush to the presidency. This is very possible in happening with Trump, so before you decide to not vote or to vote for a third-party candidate, I suggest weighing the consequences.

Now, these are just a few reasons why I'm with her. Hillary is not at all my ideal candidate for President but based on the choices we have at the moment, she is the right one. I am terrified of what may become of our country and it amazes me that in 2016 something as insane as this is plausible. This race says a lot about our country--it displays the presence of racism, bigotry, and corporate power throughout the nation. In my opinion, it's amazing how little it matters whether the person running our nation has experience in politics. Our founding fathers would be appalled at the state of our nation, as am I. Donald Trump is a symbol of everything wrong in our country; he detests government but promotes hatred, inequality, and the power of money, yet people still believe in him. In all honesty, it disgusts me and that's why I'm with her. Before heading to the polls, think very hard about what you believe in and which candidate represents you best. My strategy is to choose the lesser of two evils, and in this case it happens to be Hillary.