As a former Sanders supporter, it really confuses me to see so many former comrades move into the Jill Stein camp. Jill Stein is not an adequate Sanders surrogate not only in her near impossible chance of getting elected, but also in her policy. Beyond the fact that every vote for Jill Stein gets Trump one step closer to the White House, her policies do no truly reflect Bernie's, while she may share his integrity.

I like and respect Jill Stein (what other candidate would engage in such active protest as spray-painting the bulldozers for the Dakota Access Pipeline?), but I do not believe her policies reflect what this country needs right now. I believed Bernie was our best hope, but we need to accept reality and support Hillary, who is our best shot at realizing Bernie's goals in the future. Jill Stein has tenuous beliefs about the safety of vaccines, WiFi, and GMO's. She wants renewable energy, but is unwilling to touch nuclear energy, which is significantly safer than is portrayed. In addition, thorium-based nuclear power, a technology currently being researched by China and India, has an almost 0 percent meltdown risk and nearly 100 percent safer waste product (which is largely recyclable). This technology could be just 10 years and 10 billion dollars away, bringing cheap accessible energy to all, but Jill Stein would not touch it. If we truly want to make a commitment to safer, more renewable energies quickly then safer nuclear power is the way to go. We need to let go of the stigma against it and embrace science and technology. In addition to this, according to her platform she wants to put "a moratorium on GMO's until they are proven safe." This is a major issue for the United States as a majority of our crops are some form of GMO's whether that be gene splicing, farming techniques, etc. A moratorium on GMO's would totally cripple our agricultural industry, an industry that drives the US economy and is the source of millions of jobs. I have nothing against the Greens in general, but Jill Stein is an anti-science sympathizer and propagates misinformation about science. This is not someone who is well suited to lead our nation in the 21st century.

Jill Stein's platform is also not nearly as comprehensive as Bernie's. While she champions similar ideas such as universal healthcare and education as a right, her platform lacks the exact numbers and percentages of how these programs would be established or paid for. Bernie maintained a platform with specifics for how his programs would be implemented, again showing that Jill just is not an adequate substitute for Bernie.

If you're upset about this election and the lack of choice, I feel you. I so badly wanted Bernie to be our nominee so that we could get our country on the right track (towards Democratic-Socialism). It's not time to give up the fight, but Jill Stein is not our savior. The two party system was not created by the two parties, so a protest vote for Jill Stein will do nothing to dismantle that situation. First-past-the-post (FPTP) voting is what has created our two party system. To win, a candidate simply needs the majority of the votes. This stands in opposition to nations with proportional representation which creates multi-party democracies. Under FPTP, parties have an incentive to simplify their platforms and compromise in order to form larger, more powerful parties which leads to what we have today, with two very different parties dominating the national scene but often leaving much to be desired. A push for proportional representation will bring us to a day where one can pick a candidate (or party) that they actually fully identify with, and will bring us much closer to a multi-party system. This change begins at the local level, so listen to Bernie's message about our revolution. It's our job to instigate change by voting for like-minded local candidates that will help us realize the change we want to see. As it stands now, however, a vote for Jill Stein is a vote for Trump. If you don't see the horrific possibilities of a Trump presidency, then you are blinded by your privilege. Trump's policies will affect the most vulnerable Americans, as well as potentially plunging us into World War III. Think twice before you cast your vote for Stein. Incremental change is better than no change at all, or worse yet, the kind of change Trump and the alt-right want. Please read up on the issues and don't vote based on emotion, but if you like pseudo-science and are scared by real science, then maybe Jill Stein is right for you. As for this former Bernie supporter, I'm voting for Hillary and I hope you will, too.

Finally, don't forget the local elections.