I just want to begin by saying that, despite how strongly I dislike the leading candidates of America’s presidential race, I respect everyone’s differing political opinions. No matter how wrong I might feel those opinions are, I acknowledge that everyone is entitled to think what they want and vote for whoever they chose to vote for. I know politics is a touchy topic, and I almost refrained from writing this article for that reason. Additionally, I very much know that I’m not as well-informed as some may be when it comes to politics, being that my main income of information is via social media and online articles. With that being said, all I ask is that you — the readers — please keep an open mind, and avoid any negative commentary towards my own opinions and possible ignorance.

I know I’m not the only person who’s terrified for the nearing future of American politics: Trump is a racist, a misogynist and an overall creepy candidate for the Republicans, while Clinton is a known lying criminal, who’s almost definitely paid her way out of recent lawsuits (probably amongst other things). They’re two very easy people to hate, and now that they’re running for presidency, it’s even easier to hate them. Most politicians are sleazy, so they have that effect.

Just like many of my young peers, I had originally planned on seeing Bernie Sanders become not only America’s Democratic candidate, but also our president. Alas, similarly to my peers, I didn’t vote: a very unwise, and seemingly common decision. I loved Sanders’ ideas, his general compassion towards other people, his determination to strengthen the voice of the millennial population, and his drive to not give up on his campaign, even after it was almost evident that he would not win against Clinton. For these reasons, I was so excited to see him potentially move forward — and also, so devastated to see him lose. While I dislike both Trump and Clinton, I’ve been tempted to register to vote, just to vote for Clinton; just to vote against Trump. I’d rather a privileged felon run our country than a racist, dishonest, rude, sexist, loud, bigoted jerk.

I knew right from the start of the election that my logic — not feeling like voting, and therefore not voting — would come back to bite me. Now that I am determined to vote, the two most popular and evident candidates have already assumed position and are ready to fight for the country’s vote. But those are just two of the candidates. People seem to forget that third parties exist, just as I did up until about a week ago.

After some very thorough research, I’ve decided I’m going to be voting for our Green party candidate in the election: Dr. Jill Stein. For starters, she’s not Trump, and she’s not a criminal. She’s already the package-deal. Then, there are several obvious ways that she is a much more worthy opponent to Trump and Clinton than our Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson. I am not entirely opposed to a possible Johnson presidency, just because I would much rather him or Stein than Trump or Clinton… but, I’d much rather Stein more thoroughly enter the race for several reasons. Johnson is not entirely pro-choice, which means it may be easier for some states to ban abortion rights; he openly opposes environmental restrictions, which will lead to a harsher environmental impact; and he believes voting rights should not be made easier for the citizens of America. Stein, on the other hand, is 100% pro-choice; she is for labeling of GMOs in products, and finds that EPA regulation is not strict enough; and she believes voting should be at easier access. Plus, she believes in separation of religion and education, which I personally love, because I believe that particularly is super important in the unity of our country’s minors.

What I like about Stein — in addition to all of her great ideas, and her open support of good causes, such as the continuation of the Affordable Care Act — is that she openly recognizes that most of her votes now are coming from former Sanders supporters. With this in mind, she’s been doing her best to work on the side of Sanders’ followers, and make sure that she gives them the same brilliant future opportunities that Sanders had already planned for; prior to dropping out, and endorsing Clinton. Unlike Clinton and Trump, Stein doesn’t use her high position as America’s official Green candidate to assume power over her potential voters; but rather, she uses it to advocate for human rights, and to work with her supporters on a more personal level. She remains humble, as the percentage of voters who support her increases; and she is admittedly thankful for the advantage she’s been given over the past few months.

I do realize that it is unlikely for Stein to win presidency in 2016, but I really hope to see her thrive and gain popularity from this year, and maybe even return again for the race in 2020. Stein and Johnson both ran in the 2012 election, and people didn’t pay much attention to them; especially Stein, being the underdog of the two with less political experience. But now that our two dominant 2016 candidates suck, and because of the rise of social media, the Green and Libertarian party are experiencing a well-deserved surge in fame.

Don’t be like the person I was a week ago: a naive young adult, ready to register to vote, just to chose between the lesser of the two evils. If you agree that Clinton and Trump both make horrible presidential candidates, look into your other options! The research can get confusing, and it doesn’t help that third-parties don’t have any broadcasted debates, either. But I promise you, it’s well worth the time and effort. This website might help a little.