This election season is a challenging one. Many people are upset about who our presidential nominees are, and in how our political system is working in general. As someone who is conflicted, I understand how hard it will be come November when it is time to vote for the next President of the United States. I do not support any candidate and will probably not vote. I have told many people this fact, and I am immediately met with a long list of reasons why that is wrong. The main one is that I am not fulfilling my civic duty to its entirety. I am not voting because I cannot support the ethical and moral values of either candidate. Voting for one or the other is not an option for me as my dislike is equal for both. I have been told that by not voting, I am not using my voice to fight for what I believe in. On the contrary, by voting for either candidate, I am silencing my voice. I am saying that I am supporting what they stand for and advocate for, and in my opinion, there is a larger problem with that.

My argument for not voting, aside from not wanting to contradict my values, is that there is more to civic duty than just voting. Voting is only a small slice of what it means to be a citizen of the United States, and I feel as though we forget this. Civic duty includes contributing to society by taking part in government (i.e. voting, volunteering, serving in public office, etc.) and by using one's talents and gifts to contribute to the good of said society. Because I do not believe my voice and my opinions are being adequately considered and upheld in the United States government, the presidential race specifically, I aim to do whatever possible to fight for those beliefs outside of supporting candidates who are against them. For example, I am pro-life. Both candidates running for office have repeatedly shown and proven that they are not pro-life (even though Trump claims to be, he has contradicted himself on several occasions). Instead of voting, I advocate for life via social media, starting a pro-life group on my campus, unabashedly discussing the topic of life and not supporting companies and candidates who are against life.

Apart from the presidential race, I also use the gifts and talents I've been given to make the nation better and to help and do good by my fellow Americans. I volunteer, I donate, I advocate for those who are unable to speak for themselves. In other words, I value the American society that focuses on ensuring the wellbeing over others rather than its focus being purely on voting, no matter how important it is.

I will leave you with this: civic duty is more than just voting. If you think that that is all you have to do to fulfill your job as a citizen of the United States, you are mistaken. Voting only matters if you truly believe in the values, beliefs, issues, agendas and candidates who are being presented. Don't put so much emphasis on voting that you forget to take care of one another.