According to a poll recently taken by Data Targeting 65% of voters said that they would support any candidate besides Trump or Clinton. Both of the two big parties have provided two candidates that people from those parties cannot get behind in good conscience. But citizens feel that there are no other options and that they have to be confined to voting for one of the two, most Republicans dislike Trump, but hate Clinton and most Democrats dislike Hillary, but hate Trump, so they vote for what they see as the “lesser evil”. Voting for the candidate you dislike to stop the one you hate shouldn’t be a voters only option.

The thing that people don’t realize is that there are other options. Third Party candidates exist, and some such as Gary Johnson are gaining momentum. With a little more support he will have enough to join the debate stage. Somewhere in American History the two party system became the norm, and anything from outside was no longer viable option. At first both those parties represented the American citizen’s ideals and opinions, but over the years and as illustrated in the candidates from this year, the parties have become even more polarized. Trump and Clinton both represent the extremes to both sides of the spectrum. They no longer represent the average American citizen, who leans one direction or the other, but is much more moderate in their thinking than the parties positions and politicians speeches and actions. But unless members of a party comply and swear loyalty to the extremes of the party than they are completely cut off from the party and anyone who dares to run as a third party option with differing views than the extremes of the two big parties, isn’t even given a fair chance at winning the office. That doesn’t sound like Democracy to me. Candidates should stand by principles not parties.

George Washington himself was opposed to a party system for those very reasons, he said, “However (political parties) may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” Washington just described the very circumstances we see now and those we are in danger of seeing if we conform to the system, and instead of voting for a moral candidate whom we can see eye to eye on and respect, vote for someone who is “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled” just because we have been a member of a party who in years past has provided decent candidates in order to stop a candidate who we hate.

I have always identified closely with the Republican platform, and in past years been very active in supporting the presidential nominee, but in this past year I no longer feel represented by the party’s platform, it has taken issues that I was more moderate on and taken an extreme and sometimes immoral stance on those issues that I cannot agree with or support. This poses a huge problem for up and coming voters. As the parties switch platforms and lean farther and farther in opposite directions they further isolate themselves from younger voters. I have watched the pressure of the party force members, especially politicians whom I respected, to conform and get on the Donald Trump train. If they don’t they are openly scorned, abandoned, and called a traitor. I have so much respect for those that refuse to change their views with the party, and instead stick to what they believe is right. The same goes for Democrats, you’re labeled as disloyal if you refuse to support Hilary. People are being told that not supporting Hilary, means you’re supporting Trump and vice versa. The problem is, that is a lie sold to you by the media. If 65% of Americans are so opposed to both candidates, then that means there has to be other options. But those 65% of American’s feel that they can’t vote for another candidate without “giving a vote” to the candidate they hate. But if those 65% of American’s weren’t too afraid to get behind a candidate they actually supported and believed in I think our poll results would be very different than what we are seeing now. That’s what the big media outlets won’t tell you, you can vote in this election for someone who you feel represents your views more than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, two of the most polarized candidates seen in an election. Voters should do some research and find a candidate who represents them and get on board with them. Trump and Clinton should not be and are not the only candidates. The two party system is falling apart and it’s time to take a stand against it.