The essence of democracy is voting for either one of two presidential candidates. Why can’t independents and voters dissatisfied with both candidates understand that?
On Sep. 16, former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, originally an independent candidate himself, told voters in New York that they needed to vote for Hillary Clinton and that this was not the year for a protest vote, according to the Washington Post. Sanders, as a third-party candidate, surely knows that what’s best for the country in this election couldn’t possibly be a third-party candidate.
Neveah Ray, who was considering voting for Gary Johnson, has since changed her mind.
“I just realized that it was crazy to vote for someone who represents my views on foreign policy, immigration, education and abortion,” Ray explained. “Everyone else is voting for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, so I have to also.”
Kevin Cleary, originally a Sanders supporter disappointed by Sanders’ endorsement of Clinton, has been enlightened and realizes that siding with the majority is his civic responsibility as an American.
“Soldiers fought and died so that other people could tell me who to vote for,” Cleary said. “I was going to stay home on Election Day because I couldn’t cast a vote in good conscience for either candidate, but now I understand that I have to vote for one of them no matter how I feel. Otherwise, I’m a bad American.”
Rose Greebly, well-known socialite and voter registration volunteer advocate, explained that protest voting, or voting for a minority candidate, is just uneducated.
She said, “You want your vote to count, don’t you? If you vote for Jill Stein, you are literally voting for Trump. If you stay home, you’re voting for both Clinton and Trump and you’re also not voting for both of them. And also a vote not for Trump is a vote for Clinton. It gets confusing because you can be voting for a lot of people, but it can be simple. Just vote for Clinton or Trump. See? No mental gymnastics.”
There’s only one way to exercise your right to vote, and choosing to exercise it by abstaining or voting for a third party candidate is, at its core, undemocratic. So get out there and vote for a candidate you don’t actually want to win. It’s your civic duty.
To pledge your vote to Clinton or Trump, visit democracyrocks.gov or call 1-800-476-FREEDOM. To vote for another candidate, visit iwantamericatofail.com or call 1-800-911-COMMUNISM.
