With an election as infuriating as this year’s, more and more people are talking about third party voting. Yes, there are more candidates running for President of the United States than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Former New Mexico governor and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson as well as physician and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are actively campaigning to be Commander in Chief. Given our choices, I understand the desire to jump the two-party ship beyond the elephant and the donkey. Especially when the elephant is racist and you can’t trust the donkey. Trust me, I get it. There have been times when I’ve wanted to push my TV off a second-story window from having to hear about this year’s candidates. One in particular, but that’s a whole other article or perhaps a senior capstone project in itself. Voting for either one is going to be painful for many of us. For someone who is voting in a presidential election for the first time, I personally could not be more disappointed.

That being said, I am still voting under a major party. When I tell people this, they often believe they are somehow saving me by showing me their #Johnson2016 Facebook posts, as if they are “showing me the way.” First of all, these third party candidates are pretty abysmal too. The former New Mexico governor’s foreign policy knowledge is frightening (Aleppo who?) and Stein has some problematic anti-vaccine perspectives. Second of all, our system needs a complete overhaul until we are going to have a successful third party, let alone a third party presidential candidate. An election as crucial as the 2016 presidential race is not the time to politically experiment. In fact, this potential experiment would have virtually nothing to show once the data is collected. That is, other than the fact that people want change but do not yet have a system in which change is possible.

Our elections are still largely dependent on power and money. The unfortunate reality is that our major two parties are the only ones with those resources. Although third party candidates sometimes seem more politically centered than the polarized Democrats and Republicans, that political standpoint can also make it harder to gain votes. With a winner-take-all electoral college, as well as the rest of the deck stacked against third parties, the odds are relatively nonexistent. You may be saying, “What about Bernie’s average campaign donations of $27.00?” Well, Bernie ran as a Democrat. Also, don’t remind me of that beautiful man. Can’t you tell I’m grieving?

Voting for who you hate the least seems unfair and, frankly, sad. However, it is the reality of our political possibilities within our system. In fact, voting for who you hate the least is the most pragmatic way to vote in this election. Donald Trump is a misogynist and Hillary Clinton has an email problem, but if you think you’re going to rally the majority of the country (including politicians) around a candidate polling at less than ten percent a month before Election Day, you are kidding yourself.

The voice of the campus community is printed here by The Racquet.