For many of us, this will be our first presidential election to vote in. I personally have never really been interested in politics. I don't understand any of it nor do I care to learn about it. So for me, I was not excited about voting in the first place, and then when I learned who was running, I was even less excited.
Contemplating back and forth between who I was going to vote for was stressful. I was being told basis things from people I know and from the media. I did not know what to believe or what to think. I was extremely confused and lost. Truthfully, I went back and forth between voting or not voting. But in case I changed my mind, which I do a lot, I requested an absentee ballot anyways.
I know what many of you are thinking, "Why doesn't she want to vote?! It is her right to vote and she should be honored to have the privilege of doing so!" It's not that I do not feel honored or thankful for being a women who has the right to vote. Of course I am grateful for living in a time where I as a women have the rights that many women didn't have many decades ago. But to clear the confusion up, here are the several reasons as to why I didn't want to vote in the first place. One, I did not want to vote in a presidential election without understanding what was happening and how my choices were going to affect the outcome. Two, I disliked all of the candidates and thought that my vote wouldn't help nor hurt any of them. Three, I didn't want to vote for someone just because I didn't like one of the other candidates. Lastly, four, I didn't want to vote for someone and then later on regret my choice. Some people may say those are stupid reasons, but hey, we live in a country where I have the freedom of speech and the opportunity to do what I want to do, and at the time, I did not want to vote.
Once I received my absentee ballot, I decided to look into the candidates. I was still adamant about my decision of not to vote, but I was still curious. I got rid of all the bias opinions and articles and went straight to the main resource. I learned the candidates views on abortion, the second amendment, religion, war and countless other topics. I agreed and disagreed with the candidates on certain things. But, I didn't stop my research there. I looked into every single name that was listed on the ballot, from the President to Auditor in General. I wanted to be informed on who could possibly have part of control of my state and my country for the next few years.
After researching and becoming familiar with this election, I changed my mind and decided to vote. Now, I have yet to mention any of the candidates names, and I will not. I did not vote for a person. Because frankly, I still do not one hundred percent like any of them due to how they portray themselves. Instead I laid out all of my beliefs and hopes for our country and with that I chose the person who had the most similar beliefs. I didn't choose someone just because of who they are, but because I believe that I would feel safe with them controlling our country, through the good times and the bad. I looked forward, a year, three years and even beyond that to see who I believe could lead our country in a respectful and honorable way. Our world is constantly changing for the good and the bad, and I believe I chose someone who will stand by our country's side no matter what obstacle is thrown at us.
My advice for those who are struggling just as I was, is to do your research. Don't read the crap in tabloids or listen to the basis opinions of people or news reports. Get that all out if your head and look at each candidates' viewpoints and then decide. If you still don't want to vote, that is fine, but if you do decide to vote, make sure you are voting for someone because you agree with them and believe in them, not just because you don't like the other person. Research, be informed, choose wisely and stand your ground for what you believe is right.
