So clearly there has been some controversy so far at the Democratic National Convention. Let’s talk about Bernie Sanders.

What the DNC did was obviously wrong. Bernie Sanders was robbed by the influence of this party and what they did undermines the democracy of which this country claims to be so proud. How can citizens be expected to support and respect the Democratic Party when they are not even respecting their own supporters’ votes?

At the same time, I’m not entirely convinced that the actions of Bernie supporters are justified. We want to continue to make progress. Refusing to vote with this “Bernie or Bust” movement does not help anything. It does not help the Democratic Party, it does not help citizens to find another viable option for political representation, and it does not help us to find a future leader for our country. The only thing that refusing to vote does is give away your voice and the only power that you have left. Not to mention, it helps Donald Trump- and really, who wants that?

I’m not going to say that Bernie’s supporters should all just jump over to team Hillary and forgive everything that she has done or everything that DNC has done to Bernie. With that said, refusing to vote is definitely not the answer. Throwing a fit and interrupting speakers or booing candidates in the middle of the Democratic National Convention is also not the answer.

I understand the reason behind the protesting. I understand why there was booing. I am right there with you guys. I’ve supported Bernie every step of the way, and if I had my way (just like a lot of us) Bernie Sanders would be the Democratic nomination for President. Unfortunately, our system is currently so screwed up that I’m not going to get my way here. Instead of throwing a temper-tantrum, instead of giving Sanders supporters a bad name, instead of getting upset because Bernie has decided to support someone who he believes would do a better job than Trump, I am planning on finding a new candidate to support. I refuse to give away my vote because no matter how many people tell me that it doesn’t matter, it’s one of the only powers I still have.

We may not be getting Bernie as President, no matter how much he deserved it, and disregarding the fact that he was the people’s choice. We can be disappointed about that, but Bernie supporters can still make a difference by moving our votes and energies to other reasonable candidates. Some may choose to vote for Hillary Clinton. If you support Hillary in Bernie’s absence, then you should vote for her! Don’t quit just because the candidate you wanted didn’t get the nomination. Others may say that they would never vote for Hillary, and that is OK too. But again, do not just quit on voting all together!

Despite popular belief, there are more than two political parties in this country. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate has many of the same ideals as Bernie Sanders regarding climate change. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, is another awesome choice for those who don’t want to vote for a Clinton or a Trump Presidency. There are other options, even after losing Bernie as our candidate. If every single Sanders supporter chose a new nominee to support, we could have a very different election in these upcoming months. If enough of us decided to vote third party, we could make a history by supporting someone that we actually believe in rather than just following the democrats and republicans.

We just have to find a new candidate to stand behind. If you believe that you can’t make a difference, then you never will. Don’t give up your right to vote. Bernie Sanders supporters can still make a difference in this election.