I'm a woman, and I'm not going to vote in this election. Please, hear me out. During the primaries, I told myself that if Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were the final two, I wouldn't vote. Here's why.
1. Absentee Ballots.
I no longer live in the district where I am registered to vote. Well the simple solution would be to fill out an absentee ballot, right? Wrong. Absentee ballots, though legitimate, have complicated rules and can easily be uncounted. Besides having to be postmarked by a specific day, these ballots are counted on different days and times by each state.
2. My beliefs
My beliefs do not resonate with either presidential candidate. I am not going to vote for someone I do not fully support. Many may argue that there is no one candidate that anyone entirely agrees with. You're probably right, and in that case I would vote for the individual who shares a majority of the views that I do. However, neither Clinton nor Trump's ideologies are even close to my own.
3. Donald Trump
I am still extremely confused as to how this man, a business entrepreneur with little political experience, became one of the presidential nominees. Nonetheless, his behavior, attitude, and ideologies are the reasons I will not be voting for this man.
4. Hillary Clinton
Being Secretary of State, Clinton may have more experience in a political position than Trump, but I still don't agree with her on almost everything. Therefore, I will not be voting for her.
5. The Ultimate Result
Contrary to popular opinion, the presidential election is not as important as other elections. The POTUS' powers are actually extremely limited (see abridged version here). In reality, it's Congress that holds a majority of the power.
6. My Right
According to the constitution, my right to vote is fully addressed in the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-Fourth, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments. However, this doesn't mean I HAVE to vote. It simply means I am allowed to, by law.
7. The Hostility Caused by this Election
Clinton and Trump are ruthless towards each other. In addition, the polar opposite views in this election are causing even more anger and tension between the parties. Am I going to pick a side and potentially become a part of one of these said parties? No, thanks.
8. Not Fully Educated
I'll be the first to admit that I have not completely immersed myself in this election. Although I come from an extremely liberal high school where the presidential election was almost all we discussed, I have not been following it very closely. All of the facts I know are from my former, democratic classmates. In my opinion, it's important to know both sides of the story, especially before forming an opinion.
Overall, I'm not voting, and these are my opinions. I would like to stress how important it is to have your own opinion, and that it's ok to have your own opinion. In fact, I stress it. Form your own opinion. Believe what you believe. Stick to it.
