NUMBER #3 IN VOICES4HILLARY'S MILLENNIAL SERIES.

DO NOT CONFUSE YOUR VOTING RIGHTS WITH YOUR MORAL OBLIGATIONS

By JACOB BOISSIERE

Hillary Clinton or Donald Trumpwill be forty-fifth President of the United States.

If you are eligible to vote in this presidential election, you have the right to do so. Barring unforeseen circumstances, these are facts. You have the right to vote on the next President of the United States.

Yet all rights come with moral responsibilities. "Don't boo, vote," the forty-fourth President, Barack Obama, said multiple times in response to Donald Trump's candidacy.

I am going to add to his comment. Don't boo, vote responsibly.

If you are going to vote, which you should, you should do so responsibly. This year, voting responsibly is voting against Donald Trump, and voting against Donald Trump is voting for Hillary Clinton. Voting for a third party candidate or writing-in a name is not voting against Donald Trump and is immoral voting.

Sure, you have the right to vote for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson just as you have the right to say, "When Mexico sends its people...They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." You also have the right to say you want, "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."

But you are not going to say these things, because they are morally absurd. So if you do not plan to vote for Hillary Clinton this November, recognize the immense privilege you exercise in doing so.

You have the right to vote, but you have the privilege to vote for Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, Donald Trump, or not vote at all. Only those who are privileged can risk the results of such a vote. A Donald Trump presidency would be incredibly damaging to many, specifically the numerous groups he has actively discriminated against during his campaign.

If you do not recognize this damage in your voting, or lack of voting, you have a privilege that not everybody has. You probably do not have to vote with your basic constitutional rights on the line. Because if you did, which many Americans this fall will do, you are going to vote for Hillary Clinton because voting for her is the only vote that is against Trump. "I hate Donald Trump but I do not like Hillary Clinton either." is a common sentence expressed by voters. Despite my disagreement with the latter part of this statement, it is not right thing to say in politics.

Politics is like a menu at a restaurant. If your options at the restaurant are to drink Coke or water, you are not going to drink gasoline instead out of protest because you really love Pepsi; you are going to choose Coke or water. This happens in politics all the time, just look at the Affordable Care Act. Many Democrats wanted universal health care in 2009. But that was not an option. Barack Obama and the Democratic congressman and women did not abandon health care reform because the political menu did not have exactly what they wanted. They enacted the Affordable Care Act because it was feasible progress and was a much better option than the alternative status quo. To my Pepsi lovers out there: your drink is not on the menu. But this year, gasoline is.

It is more dangerous than ever to sit on the sideline or vote for a third party. You have every right to vote, and it is a right, not a legal obligation, but your rights are confined to reality (the menu). This year, acting responsibly is voting for Hillary Clinton. Regardless of your opinion of her.

###

August 3, 2016