I get it, neither of the big names we keep hearing in the news are favorable candidates. There are plenty of Republicans who won't be supporting Donald Trump and the same goes for Democrats with Hillary Clinton. There are a lot of people who are looking at this election and saying "uhhhhh nope!" but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't go to the polls on November 8th.
We do not live in a two party system. No matter how much the government and the media wants you to believe this, it's not true. We have the right to write in anyone we want as our choice for president. We also have four people running for president. I wonder how many people know that there are four candidates?
The other two might not be in line with your political party, but that's the point of the general election. The primaries are where you have to stay within your registered party, but not in the general election. In the general election, you get to truly express your freedom.
You can vote for Jill Stein, the Green Party Candidate who lines up a lot with Bernie Sanders. She wants to eliminate homelessness, raise minimum wage to $15 an hour, and provide free healthcare to everyone. This sounds very familiar, doesn't it?
Or you could vote for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee. He believes in creating a better system for allowing immigrants into our country. He also believes that the common core should not be implemented. He does not think that Washington should control states' education policies.
So maybe one of those two sparks your interest and you feel compelled to do more research before deciding not to vote. Maybe you still don't like the candidates on the ballot. But that still doesn't mean you shouldn't vote. In some states, you can leave sections of the ballot blank. So if you don't want to vote for any presidents, see if that's an option in your state. You might wonder why you should even go to your polling place if you aren't voting for a president. But there is a lot more on the line than just the president. You have the chance to vote in your local elections, too.
Depending on where you're from, you could be deciding on your school board or your mayor. In Pennsylvania, this November 8th, we will be voting for our Attorney General and our U.S. Senate. So it's more than Trump versus Hillary. The election can decide your state's future. If your preferred president doesn't win, your state could potentially go against some things that the president declares. So you might not be as affected!
Finally, and most importantly in the election, this is our right. As an American citizen, we are lucky to have the ability to put our two cents in about who leads our country. Not everyone has this freedom! Some citizens of other countries aren't as lucky as we are. This is one of the few ways that we get to put a say into the decisions for our country.
Even if you don't like the two main candidates, please realize that you're not forced to vote for them. Your vote is never a "throw away" because you're a citizen and you have the right to a voice.
