I debated on whether or not to express my opinions on the 2016 election, and on voting in general, for a while. I think that now is a better time than ever to explain to all voters why I chose not to vote for a candidate during this election.
I would like to start off this controversial topic by stating that I appreciate those who exercise their right to vote, and I have nothing against their reasoning for voting. While voters have their reasons to vote, I have my reason as another free, American citizen to withhold from voting. So without farther ado, here are my reasons for not voting in the 2016 presidential election.
1. Let's start with the obvious, and the conclusion you all probably jump to. Both candidates aren't appealing to the masses this year. As much as I would like to say I lean more one way than the other, I can't honestly choose between these two people. We are casting votes to share who we would like to run our country next. I vote, neither of them. And with that vote, I don't have to go to the polls. I'm not stupid, I know that regardless of my opinion, one of the two will still end up being our president. However, as a free American citizen, I have the right to say I want neither Clinton or Trump to run the country I live in, and therefore not cast a vote. So, why not just cast a vote for the lesser or two evils? Because then it would be called the "lesser of two evils" 2016 election. I want to vote honestly, and voting for either of the two wouldn't be an honest way for me to contribute to our countries leadership decision.
2. Let's get logistical. Everyone who has heard I'm not voting judges me and questions me in the harshest of ways, and I suppose I'm supposed to accept that. They claim that many people fought for my right to vote in this country. They're right- the suffragist and civil rights movements worked to make voting available to anyone and everyone. But let's think about this on a deeper level; were these men and women fighting for simply the right to vote, or for equality in general? When women fought for a vote, they wanted to achieve equal rights status with men. This is similar to feminist movements that are continuing to pop up today. For example, the whole wage gap thing. The drive for this fight isn't that women want more money to support themselves... the fight is mostly stemming from women taking notice of the unbalance in wages earned between men and women. Fairness drove these movements, and I truly believe these movements had a genuine purpose in providing equality. However, I don't believe that if someone drove to buy me a burrito at Taco Bell, I'm obligated to eat it. What if I've never liked burritos, or have had no interest in them? What if it's just pointless for me to consume a burrito that someone got me, because I know nothing about it and consuming it would just add extra calories to my diet? Should I still be forced to eat the burrito, or be judged if I don't?
3. I have never followed/had and interest in politics. This is just a personal thing. While I'm somewhat educated on each candidate and their political views, I am not up-to-date with every policy change they have in store for this country. This election is somewhat of an exception, because it was impossible not to stay in the loop. However, I am simply a mid-western kid flooded with biased liberal opinions from my democratic family, and I don't know if I feel comfortable voting for a candidate based on just that one-sided information. I a ma Christian, and I see no problem with Christian's voting for whomever they choose to win this election. But I also have faith that our God is more in control than we are. I will let Him take the wheel when I know very little about a particular subject. He has our country in His hands, and He already has a candidate picked out.
A few questions I know you have that I'll answer:
Q: Why don't you care about who runs our country?
A: I know that no matter what I think, say, or do, there is a greater power moving that has a greater plan than I'll ever have in my head. I don't want to intentionally get worked up and stressed over something I have legitimately not control over.
Q: Are you saying Christian' shouldn't vote, and if they do, they have little faith in God?
A: No, definitely not. I respect those who exercise their right to vote.
Q: You say you're ill-informed and don't care about politics. That's a personal problem, and if you cared more, you would probably vote. So why not just stop being lazy and do some research?
A: Listen. I could sit and memorize a lot of facts and different beliefs and policies that different people believe. I could compare them with what I already believe. I could see if these beliefs match my beliefs to an extent that I would be drawn to vote for them to lead my country. And then I could vote and have that person run our country based on the fact that our beliefs sort of match up, because I was raised with certain beliefs and I will lean on aid beliefs because they are the right beliefs. Or... I could have an open mind and understand that both republican and democratic views are necessary in running the U.S. properly. In this case, it seems clear to me that no matter how much research people did on both candidates, voters still fell short of genuine commitment to one candidate, knowing that without a doubt, this was the person they knew would make a great president. As much as I'd like to say it's my own fault for not being more informed, I think the fault also lands mostly on the shoulders of our candidates, and the way they chose to present themselves to this country- a way that makes voters choose between two people they don't completely trust or believe in.
So, this is why I chose not to vote. There was a lot more I could add, but I decided to simply stick with the basics. If James Corden ever ran for president, I think I would definitely vote for him.
