As the 2016 Presidential Election quickly approaches, I've been reminded of just how important it is to actually be involved. It's certainly easy to be disengaged when most people don't favor either of the candidates from the two primary parties and people are either uninformed about or slow to vote for third party candidates (You may not be a big fan of them either). Many millennials are quite disappointed with the reality that Vermin Supreme is looking more and more like a quality candidate as Election season has gone on. We've been faced with crazy debates, lies and scandals, some big personalities, and much more in the last years; I've seen more than enough hate and criticism on Facebook about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump than I ever wanted to (from people I expected it from and people I certainly didn't). So, it's been crazy to say the least.
Regardless of the current insanity, I think about our country's history and all the men and women who have fought to allow others to vote—ranging all the way back to the fight for true suffrage for all African Americans to the movement for women's voting rights and more. Though America still has a lot of issues of inequality, voting has become more accessible and it's our privilege and duty to exercise the rights that were earned for us by our valiant ancestors and those we should look up to for fighting for justice.
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I could go on and on through our nation's flawed history, but in the here and now, I stress the importance of voting and exercising our rights. You may feel that your single vote isn't powerful, but I encourage you to not let that be the reason you don't go to the polls. All the people with that sort of attitude combined could make a major difference. Don't vote for "the lesser of two evils." Don't vote for one candidate to avoid having the other elected. Don't tow the party lines just because. Don't side with your parents or your family unless you whole-heartedly agree with them. I'm not one to get caught up in politics, but at the end of the day, I encourage you to vote with wisdom, thought, prayer, and research.
Get ready for some opinionated political thought:
Don't be afraid to vote third party—just saying. There are other options, even if they're not the most popular (Voting, exposure, and discussion are part of how we change that). If you don't like the Democrat and Republic candidates, look elsewhere. If we continue to let the two-party system reign, we'll continue to polarize and stagnate as a nation rather than making progress through compromise. No party has all the answers, and I don't side with any one of them in particular, but I'm honestly tired of the two-party system. Let's get back to our roots and listen to George Washington, eh? Parties and their agendas have divided us so far and have continued to lead to little progress in the House and Senate, so why not bring in more diversity and spread the power around? This is another article by itself—that should be written by someone who's more educated on the matter than me—so, it's time to step off my very small soap box.
Anyways, apart from my own frustrations and political opinions, go register to vote. Register in your state and get out there in November. If you want to see change in our nation, voting for the presidency, other national positions, and local positions can be the start of the change you want to see. People of all generations, let's get out there and make a difference in whatever ways we can.
With your vote, you hold the power to repay the past generations and make a brighter future for those to come.
