Third Party voters have long since been told they were "throwing away their vote." As someone who is captivated by how our country's politics work, I was extremely taken aback by this notion. Isn't the goal of a people's democracy that the people can vote for whomever they choose?
Recently, Bernie Sanders, an independent himself, said, "This is not the time for a protest vote" in regards to the Presidential Election. Since Clinton has become the Democratic Party's nominee, Bernie has been pushing this idea. He is urging people to vote for Hillary simply to ensure that someone "who thinks climate change is a hoax" does not become the next president. This is a radical shift in thinking for Sanders, considering he had been an independent for as long as he has been involved in politics.
I was a little offended by the idea that my vote, who will not be going to either Clinton or Trump, will be considered a protest vote. I am not protesting anything, I am simply voting for who I feel represents my view on the country best, which is exactly what this country was founded on. George Washington urged the country not to split into political parties, as he knew people would stick with their parties more than with individual candidates, and he was right.
I don't believe that my vote for a third party candidate will be a wasted vote, or even a protest vote. It is simply a vote. When historians look back on the Election of 2016 they will see a large number of people who did not vote for a major party candidate, and that will go down in history. Those votes will say that people were unhappy with the major party candidates, maybe even the two party system as a whole. No vote should be considered a protest vote; that is not what democracy is founded upon. Democracy was founded on the idea of people voting for the person who represents the people best.
So no, my third party vote this November will not be a protest vote. I care too much to believe that my vote is being thrown away. I have a voice in this election, and I am choosing to use it.
