As an 18-year-old living in the United States, I very much value my right to vote. This presidential election will be the first election I am able to vote in. My entire life, whenever an election rolled around I always reminded myself that in 2016 my vote would really count. Now that the time has come, I am not so sure I feel comfortable exercising that right.
Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Those are my options. If I were to vote, it would be choosing the lesser of two evils, and at this point in the election, I am not so sure which that would be. I do not like to tie myself to one political persuasion, but when asked whether I am a democrat or a republican, I would consider myself more democratically oriented. This does not mean that I will vote for Hillary Clinton. All of the lying and scandals have surely tainted her reputation. Donald Trump is not off the hook, either. His shady business backgrounds and indecency towards of a majority of humans make me question his ability as a leader in foreign policy as well as dealing with social issues.
I understand that it is my civil duty to vote, and I certainly do not take my right to vote for granted, the problem is that I just do not feel comfortable voting for either candidate. I also understand that there is a third party candidate, a libertarian, but the fact of the matter is that he cannot defeat Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump. I do not mean to have a defeatist attitude; it is just the truth.
I also understand that as a woman, my ancestors fought for my right to vote. Women’s suffrage is very important to me as well and I am certainly not meaning to take for granted the time and effort and at times, the suffering that my ancestors endured to give me that right. I am simply considering not voting because I am not comfortable voting for either candidate. I have my apprehensions about both candidates and I honestly worry about the future of our country, no matter who becomes the next president.
I know that abstaining from voting is often frowned upon, and under any other circumstances, I would likely be upset if someone chose not to vote. But the truth of the matter is that not everyone votes. Yes, it is a right to vote, but it is also a right that you can choose whether or not you would like to exercise This year, I will likely choose not to. Not because I do not care about this nation, or the future of this nation, but rather because I care about it greatly, and cannot bring myself to vote for anyone who I do not see fit to run this country.
