Growing up, we've all heard or uttered the saying, "First is the worst, second is the best, third is the *insert whichever variation you used in your youth.*" This phrase has been a favorite of juveniles who didn't reach the door of their house first. We were taught to say this as a means of coping with losing a race. In a similar vein, we've also been inculcated about the importance of voting. Whether it be at the local level, the federal level, or even for class president, my parents instilled in me the necessity of using one's power to vote.

No vote is more important in the US than the vote for the next president. Having been a bystander for the presidential elections from 2000-2012, I gained an outsider’s perspective on how crazy the world of politics can be. I grew up absorbing momentous occasions, such as the Florida debacle and the election of Barack Obama. Since I was a young child, I continually looked forward to reaching the 18-year-old threshold and gaining that voting power my parents so highly touted.

Then, along came 2016, and I can finally confirm that first is indeed the worst. As a 19-year-old first-time voter, I am now trying to cope with the loss of sanity in our politics much like I was trying to cope with the loss of the race to the front door. Regardless of political alignment, it's been an insane, intriguing, but mostly infuriating ride so far. My high expectations of being an "adult" came and went as this primary season has progressed. Witnessing Republicans debate about whose hand size is the biggest, Trump rallies being postponed due to protesters, and seeing a general division strengthening in our nation has turned my fascination of voting into a fascination of the debauchery that has unfolded.

I've lost count of how many political pundits have called this election cycle the most “unorthodox” or “insane” or “confusing” electoral cycle of all time. And this is the first one in which I have a say? Gee, thanks Barack (kidding, but according to some, not actually). On both sides of the spectrum, the establishment candidates have suffered, and surprise challengers have emerged. Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist, has challenged the Clinton Dynasty, pushing the Democratic primary race to the bitter end. The Republican frontrunners, at different points in time, have been Ben Carson (retired Neurosurgeon and walking Ambient commercial), Ted Cruz (The Most Hated Man in the Senate), and of course, Donald Trump—a man who invokes such a wide array of emotions from a wide range of people; a man who is a former reality TV star and real estate mogul; a man who has prompted my family from Argentina and France to question if "Americans are truly that stupid." These people are not considered to be your prototypical presidential candidates, making this election cycle unlike any other.

The same can be said for my generation. Millennials have been labelled many things, both positive and negative, but overall unique when compared to other generations. Of the negative side, we've been viewed as "coddled" by the advances of modern technology, and consumed daily by different forms of social media. Many from the older generations view us as the weak-minded youngsters who have it all wrong. Yet, it is the older generations who have given us this murky mess of a presidential race. Now that we are left to sift through the madness of this screwball circus, we millennials are left wondering what to make of it all. In a world crowded with constant information bombarded through various mediums, the race for the White House has been highly reflective of that. In an ironic twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud, the older generation's presentation of a presidential race can be seen as millennial-like.

So after advancing through childhood, into adolescence, and onward to adulthood, I can say that "first is the worst" is still applicable. I hope that my children, the next baby boomer generation (courtesy of Netflix and Chill), will not have to apply that phrase when they step into the ballot box for their first time. We millennials, Y2K-ers, and Generation X-ers need to unite and pray that 2016 will be viewed as an historical anomaly: the one that was the least presidential race for president. That being said, bring on 2020, Kanye!