Voting in the 2016 presidential election should be a personal decision, not one based off of the idea that the majority rules.
As Nov. 8 draws closer and closer, the presidential candidates slander each with unspeakable ferocity. Tensions are reaching an all-time high between the Democrats and Republicans, and the media hangs on every word.
I have overheard countless tense conversations on campus surrounding Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but each conversation seemed to be about who was the least evil. People are telling us that if you vote for Trump, you are voting for a racist; and if you vote for Hillary, you are voting for a liar and a traitor.
Instead of buying into the media’s selling of the candidates, we need to take responsibility of our votes. Being on a college campus, we are constantly judging each other for who we are voting for, or basing our decisions on a few Buzzfeed videos. When deciding who to vote for, it is important to stick with your morals and beliefs.
“In reality, we voters — all of us — make emotional, intuitive decisions about who we prefer, and then come up with post-hoc rationalizations to explain the choices that were already made beneath conscious awareness,” David Brooks of the New York Times said in his column.
“People often act without knowing why they do what they do,” Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner, told me in an email.
The vote you place should reflect your own views, not the views of your associated political party. Whether you choose to vote for a Democrat, Republican or even a third party, your vote will always count. A wasted vote does not exist.
“Don’t listen to what [the candidates] are saying,” sophomore exercise science major Emily Carmichael said, “but look at their actions, policies and personal actions that affect us as a country.”
Read where each candidate stands on different issues that are important to you. Do not be ashamed for your choice. In the end, who you choose will affect your family and your future.
