This election season has already brought high tensions and emotions among pretty much everyone in the country, even in my friend group and those around my age. Over the past few months I have heard endless conversations and arguments over how bad we all think this year’s candidates are, or wondering why the hell anybody is voting for Trump or Clinton.

Now, the goal of this article is not to persuade you to vote for one candidate, but to inform people that may not particularly like either that they do have other options instead of not voting. In reality, there are actually multiple third party and independent candidates that many don't know exist.

Obviously, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the main focus of this year’s presidential election, and frankly I’m tired of hearing about them. But that happens to me every election year, so this is not so different. The only difference is that I can actually vote this election, and that’s kind of scary but cool at the same time. When my friends and I get into a deep political conversation, I find myself actively participating and interested in what they have to say and learning about the two major candidates.

This year, I’ve actually heard of a few of the third party candidates, though this wasn’t until recently. this is actually pretty big news for anyone who is indecisive or unsure about who they are going to vote for this election year. There are over fifteen different political parties with candidates for this year’s election, but none are being talked about other than Trump and Hillary.

I know this is usually how it goes, but this election offers a third party candidate who is gaining popularity and supporters to become a valid presidential candidate. That man is Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party presidential candidate.

The impressive part is that a third party or independent party candidate is even being mentioned. Unlike past elections, we actually have a legitimate presidential candidate other than the two major political parties. That’s pretty awesome. This however doesn’t mean that the Democratic or Republican is losing their credibility. It means that American voters are opening their minds to those who are not in the spotlight.

I personally am tired of hearing people say that they are not going to vote simply because they don’t like either candidate, as they are only focusing on the major candidates that get all of the media time. Even if you don’t like the two limelight candidates, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to vote. If others can expand their political searches and find candidates that they truly like and support, why can’t we all, instead of not participating at all?

Seeing that third party candidates are gaining some credibility and gaining supporters is good to see for me, as it means we are opening our minds to different political views and understanding that we do, in fact, have other options. Yeah, that may take away votes from the main candidates, but it will show what the citizens of America think. That is why everyone needs to vote. No vote equals no help in getting the right leader for our country.

With that said, those of my generation must think actively and participate in what will become our futures, instead of sitting around and allowing others to decide our future for us. It’s time to make our own decisions, and it starts with selecting our next president. Our generation will play a crucial role in that process.