"History Has Its Eyes On You"

“History has its eyes on you.” 

–Hamilton (the musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Is there such a thing as “throwing away” your vote in America? The 2016 election is unlike any I’ve witnessed in my short 28 years as an American citizen. With more than 40 days left until the election, I have yet to make my final decision for who I will cast a ballot for, even though my research has a pretty strong conclusion at the moment. Only in that final moment when you stand in the voting booth does your final decision actually occur. Yard signs, posters, shirts, social media rants – nothing matters except your check in one of four boxes. Four boxes. Yes. Four.

This year, more than ever, I’m craving for the voices of all my options - all four who have fit the criteria to run for highest office in the country. Yet expressing that desire conjures something so anti-American, I can't believe it's coming from people who claim that freedom is the most important thing in the world to them. For people who bleed red, white and blue. What I hear is not the evaluation of various candidates. Mentioning third party candidates merits no discussion, only the following phrases: “they can’t win,” "you're wasting your vote." 

Mathematically, four candidates have the ability to gain enough electoral votes and take office. Four candidates for president will be on ballots. If it’s listed alphabetically by last name, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein will be listed right in the middle of Trump and Clinton on those ballots. Yet when I promote the desire to hear the voices of those I have the option to select, I’m told "you're wasting a vote."

So I ask - How can I be an American and waste my vote?

In the 1500s Europe began sending people to a new, uncharted land to discover what it had to offer. That land was lush and occupied by people who loved nature, respected their resources and were fiercely protective of their beliefs. The land I stand on as an American was ruled by tribes and nomadic people – that was the status quo.

By the 1700s, European colonies had settled, thriving cities were forming and people on this land started living in a standard of government that was beholden to a ruling party with a crown an ocean away. Taxes came without representation. That was the status quo.

By the mid-1700s, a small group of people asked “is this my best choice?” and dared to dream of breaking the status quo of the crown. They met, they discussed, they acted. They created the political system that we are now living in. They elected a president with the voice of the people, created a system of checks and balances, created a ruling body of the people. That was the status quo.

It’s 2016 and we live in a nation where I can cast a vote for who I believe would best lead this country. But instead of truly having the freedom to evaluate my decision, I’m told I have to live in fear of an alternative and only select from two options. I’m told I’m wasting my vote by even considering another option. I'm told FOUR actually only equals TWO. I'm told to cut my decisions in half - just because that's the way it is. This is 2016. That’s the status quo.

We are taught the dangers of populations that ascribe to a system or ideal out of fear – stand with the status quo that is flawed. We see death, war and violence and are told that it happened because people were too afraid to question for fear of a worse alternative. Fear that the "greater of two evils" would prevail if they went with what they believed. We were also taught that Americans are brave free thinkers with rights. We are taught to praise the rebels who raised a glass to freedom and gave us the freedom to choose.

So why are so many Americans afraid to use the freedom that we claim is the best thing about our country? The thing that people get up and say is the reason they support a candidate - to protect freedom? Why am I told I’m foolish for exercising my decision to vote away from the status quo if I believe that’s my best decision? If everyone did, maybe we’d fix the problem we’re all so afraid of.

So I ask, how, as an American, can I possibly throw away my vote if I’ve studied my options, weighed the consequences, and show up on Election Day? By letting fear rule my decisions, by allowing the group-think of the two-party system dictate my decision, I would be ascribing more to the enemies than the heroes in our textbooks. I would allow fear to rule over my freedom.

When I look back at this election, I want to be able to tell my story and know I stood by my beliefs. I exercised my right as an American to evaluate all my options and to do what I feel is right. I “raised a glass to freedom…something they can never take away,” as said by Lin-Manuel Miranda in his historic piece of musical theatre art - Hamilton.

What if the Founding Fathers listened to the critics saying that no rebel group of colonies could topple the super power of the world? They didn’t. They did what everyone said was a waste of time. They did what was foolish. They knew the gravity of their decision. They knew they would probably fail. They knew they would probably lose their lives. But they did it.

I’m not riding into a war. I’m not meeting in secret for fear of execution on the streets for sharing a story I think is important to hear. I’m not living a double life. But I am being criticized. I’m being called foolish. But not for any reasons rooted in fact…only in self-fulfilling resolve. I’m not being told that supporting a third party is foolish because of his/her beliefs. I’m told it’s foolish because we’ve decided it’s foolish and that even thinking of an alternative is failure.

When we vote for a candidate we don't believe in, we're wasting something far worse than a vote - we're wasting freedom. 

Only by voting for what we believe in can we truly live free and not waste our vote.

As a nation we’ve resolved to only having two options that many people don’t like. Because of fear and fear alone. We’re backing ourselves into a corner on our own. We aren’t hostage, we’re locking ourselves in the basement and claiming it’s the only way. We are afraid of challenging. Even though our teachers, mentors and leaders pressed the idea of independent thought, freedom, bravery and standing up for what is right into our heads since childhood. When it comes time to live that philosophy - to be free even when it's hard - most of us are surrendering freedom out of fear. We are wasting freedom, not our votes. Have courage. Be vocal. Stay true to yourself. Strive for independence. By voting for someone we don't believe in we're throwing away our freedom and I for one, refuse to do that.

This election season, that’s exactly what I will do – I’ll be free. Free to choose from FOUR. I’ll be evaluating the options on the ballot in my state – ALL of them. I will be listening to every word, noting every movement, watching every nervous shift of all the candidates I can possibly find. I will evaluate the person, the reality and the system. But I do so knowing that I’m a proud American who will make a decision I knew was right. In 10 years, I won’t feel remorse for casting a vote I didn’t feel was right in my soul. I’ll live the American dream. I’ll be free.

“History has its eyes on you.”