With the 2016 Presidential Election approaching fast, I realize not everyone is fully aware of their options. Most United States citizens think that they have two options: Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Wrong. There are two more parties with two candidates. If you're like me, this is my first election, and I really appreciate knowing I have more options. I now know that I can choose from Dr. Jill Stein or New Mexico's Governor Gary Johnson. I'm not here to shove my political views down your throat, I just want everyone to be educated.

With Obama leaving office, 2016 is a time for a change, and I highly encourage you to vote for someone you truly believe in and remember this: The idea behind a third party vote isn't necessarily, "Oh, I want to vote for this person because I know they'll win." That's not the point in voting at all. It's about voting based on what you believe in or someone that you feel comfortable with and helping third parties come to prominence in the U.S. so we're not always so limited in our voting choices. The more often we vote for third parties, the better our choices become and third parties have a greater chance of winning.

Gary Johnson was the Republican governor of New Mexico from 1994-2003. Before venturing into politics, Johnson was an entrepreneur and businessman, similar to Donald Trump. He started his own construction business which later became one of the largest construction companies in the state of New Mexico. What is so interesting about Johnson is his veto record. As Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson vetoed a total of 750 bills that were proposed. This is more vetoes than any other governor in the history of the United States. You are probably thinking, "I don't want a president who vetoes everything," but keep reading. Johnson cut taxes 14 times while in office and he never once raised them. When he retired from his office in 2003, the state of New Mexico was one of only 4 states with a completely balanced budget. He also has one of the most successful job-creating records of any US governor. Johnson was, and still is socially liberal, while fiscally conservative. This is what the Republican party used to be. Now, these ideas are referred to as Libertarianism. The Libertarian party is the only party, other than the Republican and Democratic parties, whose nominee is guaranteed to be on the ballots in all 50 states. Yes, you read correctly. There will be three presidential candidates to choose from. Here are some reasons why you may want to vote for the Libertarian candidate this election.

Do you believe in a woman's right to choose, the legalization of marijuana or gay rights? If so, Johnson is the candidate for you. With Bernie Sanders out of the race, I'm here to tell you that you have another option. Johnson believes in a small government. This means that the government would have no say in what you do with your life. He believes that as long as no harm is coming to others, American citizens should be able to act as they please. Gary Johnson doesn't care if you get an abortion, smoke weed, or are homosexual. We have bigger problems to worry about.

Johnson was able to create a balanced budget for the state of New Mexico as well as cut taxes (like mentioned before). His business-like approach to economic issues is more effective than a political approach. He has already stated that one of his first acts in office will be to create a "truly balanced budget." He has also pledged to veto any legislation that will involve deficit spending. Compared to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson's economic plan is more practical and more thought out.

To sum it all up, Johnson's foreign policy is centered on the idea that we do not need to get involved when it's none of our business. Unless one of our allies has called upon us for help or if our country is in danger, there is not a reason for us to waste American lives or money on fighting wars we have no business fighting. Johnson wants to "repair and reinforce" our relationships with our allies and use them to our advantage. In all reality, his plans for foreign policy are quite simple; protect our citizens and our way of life.

The Green Party candidate took a run for the presidency in 2012 and is trying her hand at it again this election season; Dr. Jill Stein. Who is Jill Stein? Jill Stein graduated from the prestigious Harvard University, having studied psychology, sociology, and anthropology. After she graduated in 1973 she then went to pursue medicine at Harvard Medical School, where she graduated in 1979. Jill went on to practice medicine for 25 years as well as instruct medical students at Harvard Med. While working as a doctor, Jill began to see the connection between people's health and their environment and began to participate in activism and environmental campaigns. Stein has solely and collaboratively published reports on how our environment and our relationship to it, greatly affect health. Jill's political career began in 2002 when she was recruited to run against Mitt Romney in the race for governor of Massachusetts. However, she did lose the race. She moved on to be a political figure in her community of Lexington, Massachusetts. Fast forward to 2011 and Stein announced that she would be running for president with the Green Party in the 2012 election. Now she is running again.

Stein, much like the Democratic candidates, she is all for $15/hour minimum wage. She is also taking a similar stance to Vermont senator, Bernie Sanders, calling for the end of big banks and for Wall Street to accept and fix their mess-ups circa the 2008 housing market crash.

Stein is calling for free K-through-University education that is accessible to all, similar to the platforms of other left wing candidates. Her stance includes ending high-stakes standardized tests, which have been proven time and time again to be ineffective. Congrats kids, no more stupid tests! Many individuals hear the phrase “free education” and have one of two responses: “Yes!” or “’Oh hell no.” Whereas other candidates hold their stances strong (I’m looking at you, Hillary Clinton), Stein has stated that her education plan is pliable and that she is willing to create a bipartisan plan to make this work.

Of course, Jill Stein has a plan to protect our environment. She calls for a full transition to renewable energy by 2030; something much more accessible than many believe. With doing this, her plan creates millions of sustainable jobs in public transit, agriculture, and conservation. This stance is nothing like those held by other party candidates. Donald Trump’s presidential campaign website mentions nothing of the environment. Hillary Clinton takes that a step further by providing potential voters with her four-year plan. Bernie Sanders decided to implement the catchy hashtag, #peoplebeforepolluters, which heavily focuses on a transition away from fossil fuels.

I really encourage you all to do their own research and find more information on a candidate. The decision on who to vote for this upcoming November is a big and will, provide interesting results no matter who wins. If you’re interested, here is some more information about a couple of third-party candidates that I hope you’ll consider.

Here are both Johnson's and Stein's websites:

Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party: https://johnsonweld.com/

Jill Stein, Green Party: http://www.jill2016.com/