This article probably isn’t adding anything significant to discussions of the ongoing presidential election. Really, I just wanted to take a moment to complain. The timing on this whole being-able-to-vote thing really didn’t work out so well for me, and I’m sure many young voters are feeling the same way. It sucks that this is my first election! I remember that the prospect of turning eighteen and finally earning the right to vote used to excite me when I was younger. But now, here it is, the biggest election since I turned eighteen, and I’m not excited anymore. Maybe I was being naive, but I pictured my first presidential election as one in which young, responsible voters like myself could weigh the pros and cons of both candidates, have respectful discussions with our young, responsible voter friends about their choices, and really take time to analyze two different worldviews put forth by two intelligent people representing the two major political parties. If my mental picture was accurate at any point in time, then it’s clear that the 2016 race for the presidency is not a normal election. For many, voting in this election has been reduced to a simple question of the lesser of two evils. It has become a process of elimination. It doesn’t even need to be a very politically-informed choice at this point; it just needs to be a common-sense one.

When Donald Trump announces he is running to be President of the United States, and then he keeps running, and then he wins his party’s nomination — all the while piling on comments and ideas that range from insensitive to idiotic to legitimately dangerous — it doesn’t take any deep dive into the analysis of today’s biggest issues to see that he is completely and utterly unfit to lead our country. You can, of course, still make this dive and do all the reading, watching, fact-checking, etc. that you want, and the results will probably be even more horrifying. At this point, Republicans cannot just plug their ears and say he doesn’t mean it, he doesn’t mean it, he doesn’t mean it over and over again. The rhetoric itself is already a danger for the United States. Donald Trump is already a disgrace for the United States. But at this point, I would happily take a disgrace over a catastrophe, which would be the result of a Trump presidency.

And maybe that disgrace is named Hillary Clinton. Maybe she lies. Maybe she cheats. Maybe she’s too establishment, too close with Wall Street, too out of touch, too selfish, too cold, too whatever. I definitely think some of the criticisms against her are legitimate. She is not a perfect candidate. I empathize with Democrats that want Michelle Obama to run for president (that would be amazing) and Republicans that want… Jeb Bush? Paul Ryan? Probably just anybody besides Trump (that would be less amazing than Michelle but obviously better than The Donald).

The thing is, you don’t have to like Hillary Clinton if you don’t want to. You just have to acknowledge that she’d do a better job than a man who definitely has no political experience, probably has no regard for anyone but himself, and possibly has no understanding of any modern political issue. To young voters disappointed with our options, I get it. Many Democrats are probably sitting at home wanting someone to inspire them like Obama did, to make them feel a genuine hope for the future. Many Republicans are probably sitting at home just wanting someone who is sane to represent their party. But now is not the time to turn from politics, already disillusioned. We have to use our newly-gifted democratic power thoughtfully and responsibly, make a common-sense decision, and recognize that a Trump presidency would not just be a loss for America, but truly a devastation.