I received a sample ballot in the mail yesterday, and it’s strange to see several names listed as presidential candidates when we mainly hear about just two of them. (And by “hear about them” I mean they are shoved down our throats for a year +.) However, the third name down, Gary Johnson, has become more recognizable. In recent months, Mr. Johnson has risen in popularity, especially among millennials who are unhappy with the two frontrunners. But does that mean he should be president instead, or is he just the default? It seems like he was just the person that happened to be there as the alternative for people who dislike both leading candidates, rather than the person with the great ideas that everyone can get behind.
Although there has been chatter about millennials protest voting in this election for a while now, the mainstream awareness of the idea has grown as we get closer to heading to the polls. The media has jumped all over it, mostly thanks to Bernie Sanders, but it’s no secret that people are dissatisfied with their choices, so naturally, people want to voice that and “take action.”
I can sympathize with protest voters because I’ve considered protest voting myself; I’m not happy with the two frontrunners either, so I find myself settling on the lesser evil. Of the small number of people I’ve spoken to about the election this year, most have chosen their candidate by asking themselves who they dislike less, rather than evaluating whose platform they feel is best. That’s not how this is supposed to work-- actually to stick with our theme I should say, that’s not how the Founding Fathers intended it to work.
Even though our American spirit urges us to stand up and fight for what we feel is right, protest voting isn’t the answer. We all like to stay hopeful, but the chances of a third party candidate getting elected is slim to none. Bernie Sanders, third-party politician for the ages, has even made comments encouraging other politicians to not run as a third-party candidate at the presidential level because it’s an insurmountable hill to climb. This means that even if you protest vote, one of the people you didn’t want as president, will still become president. Essentially, the protest goes unheard, so was there really a protest at all?
As shitty as it is, us unhappy voters have to take the “L” on this one. My best advice to avoid protest voting is to do what I’m going to do: vote for the candidate who you feel can do a better job, not necessarily a good job. Four years can go slow when waiting for fresh talent in the next election, so this time we just have to be satisfied that our votes matter and that we took a stand against the worse candidate.
Paid for by Michelle Obama 2020. (Not really, but that would be cool.)
