I think we can all agree that our current two presidential nominees are not the most ideal pairing. Next month’s election is going to be a tough and disappointing one, to say the least. Even though writing in someone different on the ballot seems like a really good option right now, it is one of the worst things you could do in this election.
Voting for a write in candidate is equivalent to throwing away your vote. “What? You say you want me to vote for crooked Hillary or terrible Trump?” I am well aware that neither of them is fit to run for our country. However, writing in Bernie Sanders would simply take away from Hillary's votes and up Trumps chance of winning. This works both ways. If someone writes in a republican nominee, it could very well take away from Trump's votes. Essentially, writing candidates in is a waste of your time.
This applies to any write in candidate, not just the major parties. Take Jill Stein, for instance. She is a Green Party member. Although, once again if you write her in instead of voting for one of the major parties, your vote simply will not count. This logic carries into Gary Johnson's campaign as well. Johnson's chances of winning are slim to none. If you vote for him, you would be wasting a vote as well.
If one candidate appeals to you more than the other even in the slightest way, vote for them. I cannot stress this enough. Do not ruin that person's chances of winning by writing someone else in. Sorry to break it to you all, but Trump or Hillary will become our next president and there is no way around that. Don't give the person you like less the chance to crawl ahead just because you decided to not vote for their top competitor.
On Tuesday, November 8th, get out into the polls and vote. Vote for one of the top party candidates. One vote may not seem like much, but it really count in the long run.
