On November 8, 2016, every legal-aged man and woman who has registered to vote will have their say in this country's fate for longer than just the next four years. Whoever is elected president will, in turn, elect a new justice to take the vacant spot in the Supreme Court, influencing the outcome of Supreme Court cases for many years to come.
There are two options listed on that ballot to choose from: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. And on Tuesday, I will vote for Hillary Clinton.
This is not something that I am particularly proud of — Clinton has never been my favorite candidate, and I never thought I'd be one to say “I’m with her.” Her time in politics has been long and filled with many scandals and backlash. It’s hard to completely vouch for her no matter how you look at it.
She’s altered her views innumerable times over the years, seemingly switching her opinion to appeal to more voters, providing more reasons for many to question her honesty with the public. Clinton was seen speaking out against gay marriage in 2004, and then changed her stance in 2013, saying in a video for the Human Rights Campaign, “I support it personally, as a matter of policy and law.” She’s both supported and opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — and both of these trade agreements are pretty terrible if you read up on them. She’s also wavered on various issues concerning the Iraq war and the US troops stationed there.
There’s the attack on Benghazi, where many have deemed her responsible for the deaths of four men who were attacked. And let’s not even start about her email scandal, where she has been investigated, cleared of charges and is now being reinvestigated after more scandal emails have been revealed.
Just looking at these reasons alone is enough for many to refuse giving her their vote. I’ll be the first to admit that Clinton is not my picturesque version of the United States’ first woman president. But when I consider my options, she’s the only one on the ballot that I would feel content with running our country.
Since announcing his run for office in June of 2015, Trump has said more offensive and demeaning comments than any presidential candidate I can remember. He’s accumulated a laundry list of racist remarks over the years — referring to Mexicans as rapists and criminals, proposing a ban on Muslims coming to America and taking his time responding to endorsements from White Supremacists. He’s been caught on camera saying that when he wants a woman, he can just “grab them by the pussy,” because he is aware that his current position gives him the power to do what he wants and get away with it. Trump is a dangerous man, and I want him as far away from the White House as possible.
So why am I not voting for a third party candidate? Because I believe that a third party vote won’t hurt Trump’s chances of being elected. Hillary may not be the model candidate, but I cannot sit here will a clear conscious without knowing that I did everything that I possibly could to keep him out of office. As a woman, I cannot sit by for the next four years of my life with a man like Trump running our country. As an ally to the LGBTQ community, I cannot be content with a man like Trump running our country. And knowing the influence a man like Trump will have on decisions made in this country for many years to come, I cannot support him.
So please, when you go out and vote on Tuesday (which you all should), think about who you’re choosing for your vote. Do your research. Learn each candidate's values, and make your choice an educated one. Because no matter what you think, every vote counts.
