Why I Can't Violate My Conscience This Election | The Odyssey Online
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Why I Can't Violate My Conscience This Election

The two party system has failed me as an American.

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Why I Can't Violate My Conscience This Election
Aaron Kittredge

I'm not voting for Clinton. Or Trump. Every time I've been surrounded by people talking about politics, I've had to bite my tongue and wait for the topic to change because I just can't take it anymore: I am lost in this election. I also should say that I don't identify with any party.

As a Catholic, this election has been particularly devastating for me because each candidate has differing views from the Church that I love. Pro-life issues are incredibly important to me, and we all know that Clinton has Planned Parenthood eating out of the palm of her hand. Trump has been flip flopping on his abortion views for years, so I cannot find any credulity in him.

Don't even get me started about his comments on women, immigrants, and racial matters. He might claim to be pro-life, but pro-life isn't just about abortion, folks. His words and actions do not follow. He does not see the dignity of life in every person.

His words are not aligned with Christ's in the slightest, and because of this you will never see me put his name down on my ballot.

And Clinton? I cannot vote for a woman who is so dead set on aborting us out of existence and someone who was so easily able to slink out of prosecution because she obviously didn't mean to have any bad intent. That's called corruption, my friends, and I want no part of it.

The American two-party system has failed me not only as a Catholic, but also as an American. I cannot, in good conscience, say that I will vote for any of them. The lesser of two evils is STILL evil, and I will not settle on casting my very first ballot for someone who I believe is ridiculously unfit for running this country.

Until then, I will do my research and find a third-party candidate in order to cast my ballot. So many people argue that third-party candidates are "throwing away your vote," but in my eyes, throwing away my vote would mean voting for Trump or Clinton. This could be the election where we can see the true weight of a third party vote. Our two party system is falling apart, and I am not throwing away my vote because I am exercising my right of freedom of speech. This article displays a great argument for voting third party, and therefore I will be doing my best to find someone who will not violate my conscience.

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