I am a young voter, so this year’s presidential election is going to be my first. I will be absolutely honest, I despise both candidates. Choosing between a sexist and racist idiot and the physical incarnation of corruption doesn’t exactly fill me with patriotic passion. As I try to pick one, the voices start going back and forth in my head:
Anti-Trump me says, “Hey, at least Clinton can coax out an ounce of tact, which is more than Trump can say.”
Anti-Hillary responds, “But isn’t it better to have a president who is dumb and evil than someone who is smart and evil?”
The conversation goes on and on. At its end, I realize I don’t actually have multiple personalities and need to come to some sort of conclusion. I stand in my mind, surveying the opinions around me as they swirl about. They are all very unhappy. I try to pull them into some sort of consensus or weigh them to determine which side feels more negative, but they resist. After engaging in far too much thinking for someone as dumb as I am, I realize that my conclusion is pretty much as inconclusive as possible: I’m not going to vote for either one.
This doesn’t make me a very popular fellow in some circles. This isn’t because I am hating on someone’s candidate; it seems most people are willing to admit that our choices aren’t stellar. But there is apparently a rumor out there that by not voting you become a bad and unpatriotic citizen. I’ll bracket patriotism accusation, as that can mean any number of things depending on whom you ask. However, when it comes to the question of being a good citizen, I firmly disagree.
The logic behind the “you gotta vote” mentality goes like this: voting is participating in our democratic system; by opting not to vote you show a disdain for that system. They make the point that one has to be better than the other since they can’t be exactly equal. This is obviously true, but I don’t think it means that the active and zealous citizen is obliged to vote.
Elections are not competitions. Their purpose is not to lay accolades on the candidate with the smartest campaign and the trendiest platform. I’m not an expert, but I would suppose that the goal of an election is to find someone who is qualified and supported by the people. As unnuanced as that definition is, it shows an important point: elections aren’t all about comparison.
Voting cannot be reduced to a couple glorified evaluation forms. Comparison has its place, but when it comes down to it, you are voting for your candidate, and that is inevitably personal. If you believe there is value in a governmental structure that involves the will of the people, you must also believe that voting is a meaningful action. Once you cast your vote, you are tied to your candidate. As much as I value my country, I am not willing to tie myself to either of the disgusting human beings seeking the office.
