Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump,
Where do I begin?
Since this is my first election I'm able to vote in, I was eager to follow this one intently and find the choice that suited my beliefs to the best that a candidate could. When I found who I thought was the best candidate, I waited anxiously until I was able to vote. Since my 18th birthday was about two weeks after the primary, I had to wait until the general election, which I didn't mind.
After my birthday, I registered in my desired party and awaited the day where I had the opportunity to pick the 45th President of the United States. Time went on, the Republican nominees dropped like flies. Soon enough, it got down to the two of you, Ted Cruz, and Bernie Sanders.
It got brutal; it got childish; it got way too out of hand and soon enough, this election was no longer about who was going to lead my country to a better tomorrow for the next four to eight years. It became a contest for whoever had the biggest mouth, the biggest hands, and the biggest load of crap someone could say for anyone to believe them.
This was the point in the election where I had little to no hope. Bernie and Ted, though I disagreed with Cruz's policies, or at least the little that I had heard over the ridiculous bickering, were both losing in the polls and eventually conceded to the two of you. I began to have fear for this country.
Our election took a drastic turn after the conventions for either party. More emails were leaked on Hillary's end, and several women accusing Trump of sexual assault, rape, and the infamous tape was released all within a short span of time. Less than a week before the election, both of you had investigations into your past behaviors and it makes my skin crawl.
Now that the election is so soon, I'm terrified for the future of my country. I want to be able to live somewhere where I know that my safety isn't going to be compromised by the person who was elected to keep me and the other 320 million people who call America home safe. I want to wake up knowing that I can get up and go to my future job and know that I will not only be able to pay off all of my massive students loans that I needed to acquire to get that job but know that I will be able to make a fair salary regardless of whether I am a woman or not.
I really don't want to vote for people who will more than likely be in prison before their terms are even up or people who were friends coincidentally until both of them announced their candidacy. Either way, I'm worried for this nation. I'm so hesitant to vote because either way, a third party vote is "a waste of a vote." It's no longer a less of two evils.
Sincerely, a scared and confused millenial