The 2016 election has been a very divisive one, with the majority of voters deciding between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. From the hurricane of slander that has come from this election, it’s fair to say a large portion of Americans dislike both candidates. According to statistics from Gallup, Trump has a 66 percent unfavorable rating. Clinton doesn’t trail too far behind with a 54 percent unfavorable rating.
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Many Americans don’t want to be forced to pick sides. Some voters on both sides of the political spectrum have found common ground by avoiding both nominees.
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A few Ted Cruz delegates have refused to back Trump, due to Trump’s attacks on Cruz. In an interview with WIRED magazine during the Republican National Convention, Illinois delegate James Kammer said, “He maligned his wife. If you’re married and another man trashes you...what would you expect your husband to do?”
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Bernie Sanders’s campaign denounced both Clinton and Trump. Despite his loss, some remained loyal to his ideals and continued to refuse to support either of the current nominees.
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Actress Rosario Dawson, a staunch Bernie supporter, refuses to endorse Clinton, despite her party affiliation.
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In an interview with CNN, Dawson criticized the pressure to support Clinton: "We are literally under attack for not just supporting the other candidate… now as a campaign strategy, we are being bullied and somehow that is okay.”
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The strong feelings against both candidates is also felt even by students.
Junior Ian Jones said, “I feel people are forced to choose who they hate less, and who they despise even more. The other parties, aside from Republican and Democrat, don’t matter.”
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Some voters have turned to the third-party. The third party support has increased greatly since the 2012 Election. A Gallup poll in 2012 found that 3 percent of registered voters supported Gary Johnson, and 1 percent supported the Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
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A recent poll done by the Detroit News on Oct. 12 found that the support for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson was at 10 percent and support for the Green Party’s candidate Jill Stein was at 5 percent.
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Since the 2012 Election, Libertarian support has tripled and Green Party support has nearly doubled.
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“From what I’ve seen, not many wholeheartedly support the two nominees. Slander and scandals are what people focus on. People complain about Trump and Clinton, but they hardly acknowledge the other way out: the third party candidates,” said junior Joshua Vendrow.
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Some have chosen to skip voting altogether.
On the Daily Show, actor Lewis Black expressed his anger about those deciding not to vote: “I know we messed things up for you … But we were counting on you to fix things ― not finish the job!”
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While some may criticize not voting, it can be a powerful message about our political state.
Freshman Quinn Felton said, “Morals are much more important than a party affiliation. Not voting can be a powerful statement, showing that you’re tired of being forced to pick and choose. Even though it is looked down upon, you aren’t helping either side take office, which may appeal to some voters.”
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While lesser-evil voting is a large problem, it may have solutions. Current laws limit the exposure of the third parties, making them unknown to some:“Since most voters lean more towards the center, extreme candidates don't tend to do very well,” said government teacher Karen Ramroth. “There are election rules that prevent third party candidates from being listed on the ballot unless they earn a large enough percentage of the vote; laws like this keep third party candidates relatively unknown.”
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Perhaps the solution to avoiding disliked nominees is to be more welcoming to the other parties. In addition to reducing the polling requirement for candidates, this would allow a more democratic election by making third party campaigns more public.
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Regardless, this election will be divisive and will test how united people are. And how far Americans are willing to go and make people’s voices heard amongst the roaring noise of fanatics.
