With growing up, there comes a lot of responsibility and big decisions. Voting is one of them. In this year’s 2016 election, rather a showdown between Hillary Clinton (Democratic) and Donald Trump (Republican), voters are struggling. They assume that these are the only options and their polarized views make it difficult for voters to align with a candidate.Why can’t there be a third choice one might ask. Well good news, THERE IS! The green party is fronting Jill Stein. Yes, a woman! Be wary of voting for someone on the basis of gender or race. Your vote is an endorsement of their views.

What does it mean to be a member of the democratic, republican, or green party? Being a democrat means being more supportive of social issues and being a republican means caring more about economic health and reducing government regulation. The Green Party supports nonviolence, environmentalism, and social justice. Votes can also vote as independents, people who do not ascribe to any political party.

Well, LHS students, most of you are unable to vote, but that does not mean you should not learn all you can about the state of the country. Many of you will soon have the opportunity in four years to vote for another commander in chief. If you are interested in politics, Mr. Henderson and Mr. Denny teach Global Diplomacy, a class focused on the debate and understanding of current events. Consider taking it next year! Do yourself and those around you a favor and be aware of global events and the reasons you believe what you do. There is nothing worse than unfounded opinions.

This year’s election, whether or not you can vote, still affects you. You can keep up with the election by watching the presidential debates. This is a good way to see the candidates personalities beyond the social media and advertisements. Personally, from watching this year’s debate between Clinton and Trump, I find them both very unprofessional. They focused more on arguing and picking on each other than discussing real world problems and what they’re going to do to solve them. It almost felt like I was watching a reality TV show, but that’s just in my opinion. Give the debates a watch to get your own personal opinion. As with any big decisions make sure you do your research, especially when it comes to voting!