The 2016 presidential election: you can't escape it. There's a yard sign every four blocks, political news and propaganda invade every channel, and no one can get on social media without seeing someone else's political opinion. This year's election is one of the most riveting in American history.
No matter what everyone else is doing, there's only one thing that really matters: your vote. And no matter what the media, your Facebook friends, or your Twitter feed says, there's only one thing that makes a vote matter:
That it's yours.
I mean this in a variety of ways. First of of all, vote! Each individual vote is significant! Elections are one of the most important linkage institutions in America. No matter who you are or who you vote for, all votes are counted equally. If it wasn't important for everyone to be able to personally contribute to the election of their head of state, then we might as well be a monarchy. But we fought a war about that, so it's crucial to the nature of a democratic government that everyone who can vote does vote.
Don't just blindly vote along party lines. While party affiliation is an important factor to consider, it's essential to still be informed of what the nominee promises specifically. In the world of politics, things aren't always what they seem. It's especially hard to discern what the candidates are concerned with in this year's election as most of their attention seems to be focused on undermining the opponent.
Perhaps this election seems like a race between two terrible options. Rather than abstaining from voting, take time to research all of your options. You don't have to vote Democrat or Republican. A vote for a third party candidate still matters! The Founding Fathers themselves were mostly against a two-party system; John Adams even referred to it as "the greatest political evil under our Constitution." Even if you feel the odds of your preferred candidate winning are slim, it's not a waste of time to vote. Not voting and then complaining about the election results is a tacky move. If you really don't like a candidate, then you should do what you can to keep him/her out of office. If our next president is someone you don't like, you will be able to tell yourself that you did what you could do to stop it: you voted.
Don't vote for a candidate based on who gets the most media coverage or who your friends say they are going to vote for. On November 8, somebody else isn't going to be casting your ballot for you. No one else is even going to know who you voted for unless you tell them - and you don't have to. While the media is a useful tool, do your own research too. Political information has a habit of getting skewed a certain way based on its source. Don't be discouraged from voting because someone reports that one candidate has the election in the bag. Take the Election of 1948, when The Chicago Daily Tribune was so confident that Dewey would defeat Truman that it prematurely took this erroneous article to the printers.
Be informed. Think critically. Make your own decision. Start paying attention and researching now, while there's plenty of time to prepare and weigh your options. What's the secret to making your vote matter this November?
Simple: Vote, and be an informed voter.
