Mindi's Message 8/3

Voting, for the first time, for me, was a major deal. The year was 2000. I’d turned 18 in 1999 and was so ready to vote in a presidential election. Throughout my school years, we’d been taught about the government and its processes. I had been taught how big a deal it was to be the president and even more about how important it was to support the president. More than anything, I’d been taught how essential it was that every eligible American cast a vote and made his or her voice heard in these big elections. 

Then 2000 came around and we had George W. Bush running against Al Gore in a race that ended up with recounts in Florida and the smallest margin of victory in history. It was an exciting time to be a voter and it was really cool to be a part of history. Fast-forward then and we feel the emotions (both positive and negative) and excitement involved with Bush’s post Sept. 11 re-election in 2004 and then Obama’s election in 2008 (and re-election in 2012).

Love them or hate them, these elections were an incredible and historic time for Americans, and it was a wonderful time for brand new voters. We had candidates to get behind and really pull for. People were excited for the elections and passionate about their outcomes.

Fast-forward a little more. The year is now 2016 and in the opinions of a huge number of Americans, we are doomed.

Let me start this by saying that I’m not a Democrat. I’m not a Republican. I’ve always voted for the candidate I feel is the best, regardless of which party that person represents. I don’t vote because celebrities or friends or relatives love or hate a person – I’ve always voted for what I feel is correct and for the person who I think will do what’s best for this country. 

With that said, I have absolutely no clue what I’m going to do this November. For the first time since I’ve been able to vote, I’m not 100 percent sure I even want to cast a ballot for one of the two major party choices we’ve been given.

On the one hand, you’ve got Hillary Clinton, who I honestly and truly believe has committed acts that are or at least should be considered criminal in nature. I mean, I’ve never been a politician or the wife of a politician, and I’ve sure never been Secretary of State, but I seem to think I could figure out that sending important government emails through an insecure email server is a bad idea. I also believe she should have been charged by the FBI. 

Someone who continually gets away with crime and questionable activity will continue to do it, and I don’t want to have a part in electing a president who I will always suspect has had a hand in terrible things.

It should be a HUGE deal to have the potential of a female president for the first time in history. This is something I should be over-the-moon excited about and talking to my daughter about. Unfortunately, the person filling that role is killing the excitement.

The choice on the other hand is not much better. There, you’ve got Donald Trump. I remember telling the kids in one of my classes when all of this began that his campaign had to be a joke and it couldn’t be serious. It seems as though I was wrong and he’s got a legitimate shot. His racism-laced ideology and off-the-wall commentary aren’t things I can get behind. 

Hillary has the potential to get charged with a crime while in office, but Donald might make us the laughingstock of the world while getting us involved in an international incident.

It seems as though there’s no good choice this year. I feel really, really sorry for the teenagers who are only just now eligible to vote, as well as adults who may be gearing up to vote for the first time ever (or first time in a long time). This year, there’s nothing to get behind. It’s sad that we have to choose to vote for the lesser of two evils. All we can do is make the best choice we can and then brace ourselves for the ride that’s coming.