The Endless Election

A question everyone seems to be asking lately is “if you could vote, which candidate would you vote for?” I have witnessed mini presidential debates right in front of me. I listen to people argue about which is worse: Donald Trump’s tax evasion or Hillary Clinton’s 30,000 deleted emails. When the argument reaches its peak, I find myself being asked to voice my opinion, hoping to stop this debate for good. But the truth is, I don’t know who I would vote for; I don’t know anything about either candidate at all. Scratch that – politics in general.

When I was in second grade, I decided I wanted to be a Republican. My decision was based solely on the fact that their symbol is an elephant. Being my favorite animal at the time, it seemed like a concrete reason for liking the party at the time, but now I know there is more to a political party than animals. Views on abortion, immigrants and gay rights all come into play. Instead of boring myself by spending countless hours researching the two parties and their pros and cons, I’ve settled and created my very own party: The I Could Care Less political party.

As soon as Trump and Clinton announced their running for the presidency back in 2015, my Twitter feed has been full of hateful memes and and sarcastic tweets about the two candidates. When I joined Facebook last year, the first event listed for me to follow was The 2016 Election. I can’t even pick up a People Magazine without having to flip through an article about one of the candidates.

While everyone in the U.S. is talking about the election, I still find myself not caring about either candidate. The only information I have on either of them are from the links I accidentally click on while scrolling through my Facebook feed.

No matter how much the election is talked up, I can’t get my 15 year-old self to become fully induced into it. People have told me that I just don’t care about the wellbeing of our country or that I just don’t have the right mind to get politics. But the truth is, I would just rather think about other things. I would much rather focus on school and Harbinger than fill my mind with the fear that our country is going to collapse as soon as Obama leaves the White House. Despite my frequent family dinners with Tim Kaine’s brother and family, the election will always be an afterthought to me.

No matter where I go, I cannot escape the trap which is the election. After coming home from school, where I sat in the journalism room listening to staffers get into grueling fights about the the candidates, I have my 13-year-old brother to deal with. Being in middle school and all, he has decided to announce himself a true Republican. I walk into my kitchen only to hear him bickering at my mom for Clinton’s email scandal, while my mom counters his arguments with Trump’s most recent quote about women’s rights. I go back to my room for some peace and quiet, only to find that my Homecoming GroupMe is blowing up. Like this message for Trump and Like this message for Hillary show up on my phone as I try to do my EHAP project. I only hope that I won’t become too distracted from my phone vibrating every few seconds.