In March, I wrote an article for Teen Vogue covering the Republican primary in South Carolina. I was a campus representative for Ben Carson, whom I really respected and could stand behind. I love politics (it's even my minor here at USC) and I was ready to participate in my first presidential election season. As Ben Carson was not doing well in the polls, I went for Marco Rubio and I felt that he could change America in a positive way. At the end of the article I wrote, "Trump makes me nervous and if the pattern of South Carolina choosing a president continues, he might be the Republican nominee. If so, I will support him." For some reason, that haunted me. I hated thinking that I would vote for someone just because of political affiliation. I kind of ignored it until recently, realizing what two terrible nominees we have for President. On one hand, we have Trump who is considered racist by the majority of millennials, and on the other, Clinton who is considered to be dishonest.
My whole life, I have taken pride in being an independent thinker. By voting based on just a party, I am letting someone else vote for me and that didn't sit right with me. I have started to check multiple news outlets for the same story in order to come to a conclusion that is as un-bias as possible and I plan on watching the debates. When I pick the lesser of two evils in November, I want it to be on my own conviction.
Just so you know, millennials have a huge voting block this year, 6.2 million to be exact. It is important that we pay attention to what is happening in this election because it will affect our future. Most Americans believe that the country is falling behind. For the first time in 130, years our generation is more likely to live with our parents after graduation, in fact, one third of us already are. Crippled by student debt, increasing wealth inequality, and the worst economic climate since the Great Depression, the future isn't looking so bright for us. Your vote counts, you have a responsibility to yourself to be politically aware, don't let someone else vote for you.