With the upcoming presidential election fast approaching, it seems that almost everywhere I turn on social media, there are videos and articles and status updates about which presidential candidate is the better choice. Of course, this happens in any election, but it’s obvious that the 2016 election is probably one of the most controversial and talked about elections of all time. I often find myself wondering how in the world we ended up with two candidates that everyone seems to despise, but that’s not what I want to discuss. I want to bring up something that’s been bothering me for quite some time now, which is this: if you are going to post something, share something, or give advice to someone about the presidential election,please don’t make it about yourself and who you want to see voted into office.

I think it is amazing that there is so much discussion about this election, because it shows that people care, and it shows that most of our country wants to keep our democratic rights strong. It is so important to vote, and it’s really awesome that so many organizations are doing campaigns and releasing videos encouraging people, especially first time voters like myself, to register to vote. However, in the vast majority of these videos and campaigns, the message seems to be one that says “you need to register to vote, because you need to save the world from Donald Trump- what a racist!” or “you need to register to vote, because we need to keep liars like Hillary Clinton out of office!” These types of ads and campaigns really grinds my gears, and they are quite possibly doing the opposite of what they are hoping to achieve.

What really makes me upset about these things, and other people on Facebook who ridicule those who don’t support the candidate they are voting for, is that it actually deters people from voting at all. Voting in this election is a massive responsibility and an incredibly hard decision for most- especially young people like me who have never done this before. As if this wasn’t enough, now we have thousands of people berating us on Facebook, calling us stupid and ignorant no matter who we support, because we are getting attacked on all sides. Not only that, but now there are these campaigns telling us how important it is to vote, while not so subtly telling us who we should vote for, and the disaster that will ensue if we don’t make the right decision.

It’s incredibly sad that I can’t really find any unbiased information about any of the candidates, because the media has taken complete control over what is said about them. I wasn’t taught enough in school about third party candidates, I don’t know enough about all the policies and regulations these candidates are talking about (and judging by the answers I’ve been given by who I consider to be generally well educated people, neither do most of the older generations) and there’s no opinion or stance I can make anymore without getting berated and attacked on social media. No wonder our country is having such a hard time getting people to vote.

So please, I am asking every one of my friends and family, and I am asking those who tear people down for their political choices, don’t tell me who to vote for. I am trying to make an informed decision here, so help me do that. Don’t tell me who to vote for- show me all the reasons your favored candidate is the right choice. Talk with me about the pros and cons. Sit down and listen to my opinions, because this is a democracy after all, and we are all entitled to them. We all deserve to make our own, educated decisions in this election, and we all deserve the chance to vote, so let's congratulate the people who are taking part in our country’s democracy, instead of scaring them into silence.