Voting is always a topic on my mind, even though I've only ever voted in one primary. Our daily lives seem to be wrapped up in this election cycle as it is nearly impossible to avoid heated discussions about candidates and the latest controversy. Media cycles keep the population on the edge of their seats with their hyper-dramatic narratives, and individuals bring that same level of energy and drama into our own thoughts, regurgitating information to support our own convictions. Others ignore election cycles as well as they can, seeing the media hype as nothing more than outrageous nothingness. No one vote matters in the grand scheme of things, so why bother voting? I personally find value in both outlooks. Allow me to speak from inexperience on what my vote means to me.

I do believe my vote is without value. One person will not make a difference in all but the strangest of cases. It is selfish to think your vote matters in any real way. Not only is your vote lost in a sea of millions, but the general outcome of an election is always the same in the end. The newly elected president fails to meet a good number of their promises, good things happen, bad things happen, Hakuna Matata, the circle of life goes on. Society is moving in a generally constant direction, a president in huge opposition to the long-term trends will only serve to slow things by a minuscule amount.

This election cycle is shit, but voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil. I personally believe there is good merit to voting third party, the more attention third party candidates get the more people will take them seriously. If third party candidates get to a place where they can be competitive with democrats and republicans, that would help break up "The Show" of election cycles, helping put the focus back on the issues instead of an us-versus-them drama piece. Truth be told a third party vote may not change anything, but any vote for a candidate you truly and honestly believe in is a vote that should matter to you.