Dear Third Party Voters,

I get it. You don’t like either of the two candidates, so why not cast a vote for third-party? The presidential candidates in this cycle have the lowest popularity ratings in decades. Let’s tear down the corrupt two-party system that enabled this problem in the first place!

I understand your logic. I think it's wrong. I know that the election is over, and our country is divided. But for us to not repeat our mistakes, we must admit them, address them, and remember them. I believe that third party voting this election was a mistake.

This election has made history in so many ways. Secretary Clinton was the first woman to be nominated to run for on a main party ticket in the general election. That is, at least in some way, progress.

What about Donald Trump? He will be the first President of the United States who has no political or military experience.

This election has the potential to make even more history, however, and it’s not the good kind. I’m sure you know this by now, but Donald Trump has degraded a lot of groups of people: Muslims, Latinos, African-Americans, and women.

And that’s not all:

• He’s bragged about assaulting women.
• He made fun of a reporter with a disability.
• He pledged to kill families, children, of terrorists.
• He disrespected our allies and plans to ignore our international agreements and promises
• He said that John McCain, an American hero, prisoner of war in Vietnam, injured veteran, is not a hero.

We elected him. A campaign built upon scapegoating and fear-mongering has won.

Like I said before, you already know all of that. You also have your reasons for not voting for Clinton: she’s corrupt. We’ve know that the Democratic National Convention rigged the primary. Clinton also deleted 30,000 “personal” emails before handing her private email over the the FBI. You don’t trust her completely. I guess I understand that.

I really don’t think this is enough reason to vote for anyone else in the general election.

You think that Jill Stein and Gary Johnson deserved to be in the debates. Third parties shouldn’t be silenced. I totally agree with that. It’s admirable that you want to change the game. But let’s just be honest here, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein literally have no idea what they are talking about. They would’ve been trounced in debates. I know it’s the principle of the matter. But those two just aren’t qualified.

If you listen to what they’ve been saying in the background, if you’ve been staying informed, you would know that, like I’ve said before, they have no idea what they are talking about. They can’t explain what they believe in.

Gary Johnson obviously isn’t the best in foreign policy. #AleppoMoment #NameAWorldLeader

He doesn’t even know how he’s going to enact the domestic policy on his ticket. Gary Johnson also said "no" to mandatory vaccination.

And Jill Stein? Nope, she won't give a clear stance on whether or not vaccinations cause autism. . Just take a look at the craziness on her Reddit AMA. She admitted that she doesn’t know what she’s saying. She thinks that cell phones and wifi negatively affect health and she wants to ban GMOs.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, however, is one of the most highly qualified candidates ever, and she certainly is the most qualified in this election.

There are valid reasons why people don’t like her. The majority of them, however, are sketchy, unproven conspiracy theories. Donald Trump, Jill Stein, and Gary Johnson have outright spewed their crazy into the public sphere.

She’s had some legitimate controversies, like the earlier mentioned DNC scandal. But Benghazi? Benghazi was investigated multiple times. The emails? Multiple times. Nothing was ever brought against Clinton. She didn’t break the law. She’s doesn’t deserve to be incarcerated.

For every legitimate controversy, she’s also faced unfair attacks on non-policy related issues. Look at this sexist coverage of Clinton over the years.

She faced pressure over something as simple as keeping her last name upon marriage. She, as First Lady, began healthcare reform with Senator Ted Kennedy. She was a senator in New York, leading her state in the tumultuous times of 9/11. She ran a strong campaign in 2008 for the presidency and was appointed as Secretary of State by her competitor.

Let’s say that even after all of that you still hate Clinton. You still hate Trump. "The President doesn’t have much power anyway, right? A third party vote won’t hurt."

With Trump, a Republican, will have a Republican House of Representatives and a Republican Senate who will help him nominate his conservative Supreme Court Justices.

With all three branches on the same side and with the figurehead of the United States being flat out racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and even more, who knows what is to come?

This could be an overreaction. The Republicans in the House and Senate could check anything too crazy that Trump might try. Trump’s advisers could nudge him in the right direction and keep him on the right track. Trump already tried to give away his responsibilities to John Kasich if he would be his Vice President.

Now we know that the future Vice President is Indiana governor Mike Pence. Now he might become "the most powerful Vice President in history".

You might not have heard of him before this election, so let me give you the lowdown:

He signed off on legislation promoting gay conversion therapy. (He definitely has not, however, touted electric shock therapy.) He's also strongly pro-life, but in the wrong ways. Pence may not believe in evolution.

This Presidency has the potential to be very, very bad for human rights, for international relations, and for our country.

With the Republican nominee being so filled with hate and with the third party candidates having no clue how to even enact the policies they propose, how can you justify your vote?

And if you had chosen to not vote third party? Check the statistics:

Hillary could’ve swung Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

She could’ve won.

The fact that you voted in this election, participated in our democratic process, is admirable, and I strongly believe in an individual’s right to vote (and the right to choose for whom to cast their vote). I just believe that some people made the wrong choice in this election cycle.

This article was made in the spirit of debate. I’m trying to support my opinion with fact and you are welcome to rebut with the same.