Why you should NOT vote

I am a firm believer that the idea that it is “crucial we do our civic duty and exercise the right to vote in each and every election” is an ignorant sentiment that far too many people hold. It is not our civic duty to exercise the right to vote in each and every election. It is our civic duty to be informed voters, of which, far too often people are not.

I’ve truly been cringing at people who are telling me they are voting for Trump or voting for Biden, because when you ask them to explain why, at best, people who are voting for Trump will simply say, “Things were better under Trump,” meaning they, at the very least, have some sort of awareness that politics have played into the hard times they are currently experiencing, even if they can’t point out anything specifically.

Personally, I don’t really care if someone is voting Biden or Trump, I just want them to have a good reason as to why that shows they are somewhat informed.

The people who say, “I’m voting for the lesser of two evils” are the people who probably piss me off the most. Voting for the lesser of two evils is stating that you are comfortable voting for evil, and therefore, when they do evil, you really shouldn’t be shocked by it. Furthermore, the people who say this seem to never be able to give a reason as to why one is the lesser of two evils, at least when it comes to their politics—you know, the whole reason we vote for someone in the first place. I also feel like this is such a negative view. There is a focus on the “evil” of the candidates rather than the policies that are viewed by the voter as a positive.

Both Biden and Trump are extremely corrupt. Any one who denies that for either is living in a bubble that needs to get popped. For balance, I wanted to look at policies from both candidates that I really liked that could be a reason I would vote for them, however, I have honestly looked for policies that Biden has upheld that I find to be a positive for the American people. Unfortunately, in my research, I was just reminded of all the horrible policies that we have had to deal with during his Presidency, not one of which I have agreed was a good thing. So, instead, I’m just going to be talking about what I tell people when they ask me why I’m not a Democrat or why I’m not a Republican, because shockingly, I don’t tell them that I’m not with one of these parties because “those people are evil.” Instead, I tell them about the horrible policies these parties uphold that turn me off from considering myself one or the other.

A few reasons I’m not a Republican include the fact that they have terrible drug policies, terrible immigration policies, they support the death penalty, and they regularly infringe in the free market to uphold their own agenda over what is best for the American People.

A few reasons I’m not a Democrat include they regularly try to take away peoples Constitutional rights, especially the Second Amendment, they have terrible education policies, they go to dangerous extremes when it comes to LGBT issues, and like Republicans, they regularly infringe in the free market to uphold their own agenda over what is best for the People.

The big takeaway I want people to have from this is that we elect the officials that we deserve. If we are choosing to live in ignorance, then we should not be surprised by the degradation in our political leaders. So, if you are ignorant about what or who you are voting for, do yourself, do your family, friends, and community a huge favor and don’t vote. Or, better yet, get informed before going to the polls. I am aware that it is difficult to keep up with everything politically, and that it can even be draining. However, if you can think of one, two, or even three policies that you heavily support, look at all the people in each party that you can vote for and see who best aligns with your values. Don’t let ignorance and presumptive idea of “lesser evils” be your compass. You will not get far with those.