The Importance of Voting
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Politics

The Importance of Voting

Make sure your voice is heard in this election

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The Importance of Voting
Shannon Marks

The final days of this year's election are here. These past few weeks, I've seen a lot more arguing over candidates than I've seen all year, which is really saying something. People are constantly defending their choice for president, whether it be Trump or Clinton. Then there are the others who firmly believe both candidates are terrible, and they should skip out on voting.

If you are one of those people, please reconsider your decision to not vote. Voting is an American right that we should all feel lucky to have. Even during such a ridiculous election like the one we've found ourselves stuck in, it's important to cast your vote. Maybe you hate Trump (understandably), but you also believe Hillary should be in jail and not in the oval office. That's great since everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I started out this election hoping that Bernie Sanders would end up winning. Sadly, I think we can all agree that ship has sailed.

I didn't love Hillary right in the beginning, and I'm still not her number one fan. It's hard to truly believe in either of our candidates when the media is constantly throwing every wrong thing they've ever done at us. No one is perfect, of course. No president has been or ever will be perfect. I love Obama, but even I can admit he has faults. The point is that there is obviously a better candidate, despite these imperfections.

This is the first election I'm actually old enough to take part in. Because of this, I did a lot of research into the whole process. I wanted to know everything about the election, voting, and of course my choices for candidates. As I said, I originally wanted Bernie to win. Now I've moved onto Hillary, and not because I think she's an amazing person. I just know that at the moment, she is the best choice for our country.

I personally believe Trump will do nothing good for America. We're supposed to be a country of freedom and while we're not all the way there yet, we have made a lot of progress over the years. To elect a man who seems to only want to backtrack the country seems pointless. Why would we take away freedoms we worked so hard to get?

On top of that, Trump just isn't a good man. I've heard a lot of people say things like "You don't have to be friends with the president. They're only running the country." And yeah, it's true that I won't be inviting our president over for dinner anytime soon. But that doesn't mean I want to have a man who reminds me of a middle school bully in charge of my country. He's beyond rude to women, minorities, even our veterans. Why would anyone feel comfortable with him as president?

My discomfort toward the mere thought of Trump as our president is what helped me in deciding to support Hillary. I knew I didn't want a man like Trump in office, so I did research on Hillary to see what kind of person she was. While she does have her own faults, I honestly do believe she is the better choice. I think she'll do a better job of upholding our country's freedoms. Not voting or voting third-party is essentially a vote for Trump at this point, and I really didn't want to contribute to that.

I voted a couple of weeks ago, thanks to the new early voting option. I'm glad I made the decision to vote Hillary. If you're on the fence about voting, just go out and do it. It's much easier and more convenient now than ever before and literally takes about five minutes. Aside from helping to pick the president, it also gives you the opportunity to answer important questions about things you care about. If you don't vote at all, you really can't complain about what happens to the country. This election is way too important to be complacent. So, get out there and vote. Whoever you personally believe should be president will appreciate it.

Let your voice be heard in this year's election. Don't be left out of the conversation.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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