Clinton fans have begun posting the hashtag #VoteBlueNoMatterWho on social media.
They argue that, in order to keep Donald Trump out of the White House, liberals should vote Democratic, regardless of who the nominee is.
However, I believe that voting should be such a cherished and intimate practice that to use it without consideration for the candidate’s values is absurd.
#VoteBluenoMatterWho is in response to the hashtag #BernieOrBust, which was circulated by supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders who vow not to vote for Hillary Clinton should she become the Democratic nominee.
To ask a person to cast a vote against their conscience is immoral and anti-democratic in any election, not just this one.
Though the spirit of keeping Donald Trump from the presidency might seem too dire, it is not worth compromising the integrity of the right to vote.
Regardless, the notion Trump will win because enough Sanders supporters won’t vote for Clinton is exceptionally inaccurate. The “spoiler effect,” which says supporters of Candidate C voted for Candidate B, Candidate A wouldn’t have won, is a ridiculous idea.
That’s like saying the winner of a sporting event only won because the other team didn’t try hard enough. The team won because they were the best.
If Trump wins, it’ll be because of the people that voted for him — not because of those that didn’t.
In reality, it is the responsibility of Clinton to be a decent enough candidate to earn the votes needed to defeat Trump. If she isn’t, that’s not the fault of the voters.
As a nation, we cannot insist on treating the right to vote as sacred and precious if we obligate one another to sacrifice our conscience and use our votes to protect political parties that are largely uninterested in protecting us.
Voters shouldn’t feel pressured to vote inside the two-party system simply because one of those nominees is more likely to win than a third-party candidate. Despite how often general elections are viewed in this way, voting shouldn’t have to be a choice between two evils.
Those who vote for a lesser of two evils are still making a conscious choice to vote for evil.
If you’re unsatisfied with the options of Clinton and Trump, I encourage you to vote third-party in November.
Alternatives include Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, Jill Stein of the Green Party or Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party. Please choose the candidate that best aligns with your values and belief system, not the one that suits a particular party strategy.
And if you do this, don’t ever let anyone make you feel guilty about it. We pledge our allegiance to the flag, not to the Democratic or Republican National Committees.
If and when those entities nominate a candidate that doesn’t represent you, don’t vote for that candidate.
And don’t worry about Trump. If enough people vote third party, if one of those other candidates manages to win some electoral votes, we could deny every candidate the 270 votes needed to capture the presidency.
If that happens, the House of Representatives will pick the president and you can be sure they won’t pick Trump.
