Why I Vote Independent

I believe that the government’s role is to protect and promote the people that make up the United States of America. This means that the politicians we elect to office cannot fight with one another and end up in gridlock with every minor or major decision at hand.

I think that John F. Kennedy said it best: “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”

We are now more partisan a country than ever; we are focused on promoting the agenda that will benefit us personally, but we don’t stop to think about how it’s going to affect other people. This is why I vote independent.

An independent, or an unaffiliated voter, cares more about a candidate’s stances on positions rather than their political affiliation. I know it’s hard to imagine that an independent’s voice could be heard in the two-party system that we have in America; however, independents could be the most powerful if people started to care more about the good of society than their own self-interests.

Whenever I take one of those political quizzes online I always fall smack down in the middle of the spectrum. I lean right on some issues and left on others. This makes me think critically about the issues that I find most important to our society. From this, I can make an educated decision on how to vote.

I grew up in a Republican family, but the more I get into my studies in political science I see how the other side isn’t anything to fear, but rather something to take into consideration when casting a vote.

There is no shame in ticket splitting—if you like some democratic candidates and some Republican candidates, elect candidates from both parties. It’s better to make the right choice, not the selfish choice. The same can be said of propositions and laws up for vote—if you don’t like what is being said don’t vote for it just because your party supports it.

I know it takes time to research a candidate or proposition, but becoming an educated voter is one of the most important things you can do to make sure that your decision is informed and will do the most good.

By: Kyle Mclellan is a sophomore political science major.