Let me preface by saying that I am a liberal-leaning independent. Among my infamous, quirky sayings you’ll hear, “Go gays!” “Women’s Rights!” “I love Mexico!” “Yay babies!” and, well, so much more.
I am the reason our country had two very, frankly put, lousy choices for president. It is not because I voted Hillary Clinton. It is not because I voted Donald Trump. It is not because I voted Third Party. I am at fault for our new president because I did not vote in the primaries. When Trump started getting further in his campaign, I literally tweeted “Trump doesn’t actually want to be president. He just wants to make some noise.” Well, he is making a whole lot of noise, alright.
I didn’t support Bernie Sanders, I wasn’t a fan of Ben Carson, I felt let down by Hillary Clinton, my original choice, and so I thought, “Well, Trump is a crazy man who could never get that far and Sanders seems to be the most popular. I don’t love him but he would be fine.”
This was a huge mistake on my part. It was a huge mistake on all of the people like me part.
I do not care which candidate you support, so long as you are voting. According to Pew Research, only 28% of eligible voters voted in the primaries in June 2016. 72%, much more than half, of eligible voters did not vote. Maybe they did not vote because of my reasons. Maybe they didn’t vote because they really do not care who America’s president is. I can’t read minds. But if there is one thing I learned from this election, it is not that that Republicans are bigots and Democrats are crooked. It is that people seriously need to vote.
Stop getting after third party voters in the final election. Stop acting like people are not entitled to their opinion. Look outside of yourself to figure out why a down-to-earth, well-educated, and kind American may have voted for opposite of your candidate of choice. This election was especially hard and terrifying, and at least people finally went out to use their voices when it came right down to who would win.
So, my fellow Americans who are discouraged with our newly elected president, I am sorry. I am sorry for not staying informed in the primaries. I am sorry for not developing an opinion and getting out there to passionately proclaim it. I am sorry that I remained apathetic when potentials began running for president. Four years from now, I vow to be different. I hope the other 72% of America get behind me on this.
Editor’s Note: All articles for Her Campus at the University of Utah are the opinions and beliefs of the writers and do not reflect Her Campus at the University of Utah, the University of Utah or Her Campus as an international magazine.