2016 has been an interesting year to say the least. Terrifying clowns roaming around, losing loved icons, and to top it off, the election.
With all of these weird things happening, take a moment and think about this; like every election, this is the first time a large number of people will ever have the right to vote in. People from ages 18-22 have not been able to vote in previous presidential elections.
I understand that a lot of people say that you are voting for the lesser of two evils, and to be fair, these are the most disliked candidates in American history. I recently heard someone say that Hillary Clinton is lucky, because even though she is the second most disliked candidate in history, she gets to run against the most disliked candidate in history.
Unfortunately, this is having a worse side effect on our youth than you might realize. They will step away from this process thinking, “This what elections are like in America?”
We are a country that has had a lot of ups and downs, and with millennials being the most unpatriotic generation to date, this election is really skewing how many of us not only see politics but how we define ourselves as a country. I want to say this; many of us realize that no other election has been this strange, or frankly, this revolting in American history.
Still, that doesn’t mean that this can continue the way it is. If in 4 years we are stuck with these types of choices again, young voters might give up entirely on our election process.
Things need to change and fast. Next election we need leaders you would actually want to be your president. The president of the United States is suppose to represent the best of us. A president should be well spoken, caring for his people, trustworthy; a person whom you could look at your children and say, “strive to be like them.”
Many don’t like him but, Obama has shown dignity and grace as our commander in chief, both to the American people, as well as those overseas.
It is too late now for us to have different options. We are choosing between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. There is no getting around that. So regardless of who wins, realize even if you don’t like the candidate that won, or if you just didn’t like either, in 4 years we can choose again.
Don’t base how you see politics on this election, This has not been “the norm,” and has not been what America represents as a country. We are a country of differing opinions and strong voices, of people who care about each other and just want to help people in different ways. Remember that when you go to vote, this election does not reflect who we are and what we stand for.  As Joe Biden put it “We lead not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.”