Well, here we are. As of this writing, both major political parties have settled on their presidential nominee -- with Senator Bernie Sanders’ endorsement of Hillary Clinton putting the stamp of unanimity on her seemingly inevitable selection. On the Republican side, we’ve got the ever-contentious Donald Trump putting the finishing touches on the flashy spectacle that he’s promised for the Republican National Convention. Both sides are gearing up for what promises to be a long, arduous electoral slog to November 8th.

On the off chance that you couldn’t tell, I’m not looking forward to this election -- and I follow politics regularly. For many Americans, political junkies and neophytes alike, 2016 is an election year of disappointment. Both candidates are historically unpopular, and every morning seems to bring a new scandal or controversy with the sunrise.

It’s not hard to see why neither party seems particularly thrilled with their nominee. Trump has managed to paint himself as a demagogic conman with the temperament of a petulant toddler, and his rambling incoherent speeches are only notable for the regular racist, xenophobic or outright stupid claims that he has a habit of using whenever the media spotlight seems to wane. For her part, Clinton’s decades in politics have left her with more baggage than Delta Airlines, and even solidly Democratic voters seem more resigned to her candidacy than excited. With the FBI’s revelations that she lied outright to Congress and the American people regarding her use of a private email server to handle national secrets and the Bureau’s extremely confusing decision to then recommend no charges, the Clinton campaign will struggle to win over any true believers.

So now what? For many of the party faithful on either side, these next few months will be a prolonged exercise in teeth gritting. Most devout partisans will probably suck it up and pull the lever for their party’s nominee -- no matter how unenthusiastically. Others may seek out a third party to throw their support behind; though to believe that Gary Johnson or Jill Stein stand a snowball’s chance in Hell of winning the White House is sheer naiveté but, hey, that’s politics. Maybe it would be better to cast a symbolic vote than to vote for the lesser of two evils. Other voters -- perhaps even more than normal -- may decide to just stay home on election day.

I cannot, in good conscience, vote for either of the two presidential candidates. I have fundamental disagreements with the Libertarian and Green Parties, so that’s out. So what, I stay home? That option ignores the importance of down-ballot races. Here in Ohio, for instance, Senator Rob Portman is locked in a dead-heat with failed former governor, Ted Strickland. It’s vital that Republican turnout not suffer overmuch if we want to give Portman the chance to continue his work for the Buckeye State in D.C. Newly elected Congressman Warren Davidson isn’t expected to face much trouble holding onto the seat he inherited from Speaker John Boehner, but it’s important to vote in that election as well. When you add in the multitude of lower offices up for grabs, it becomes clear that to stay home would be neglecting that basic civic duty of every American to vote.

So, to all of those who, like me, are more than burned out on Trump and Clinton, I just want to take this opportunity to encourage you to at least go out and vote for down-the-ballot races. Who knows -- you might just make a difference.