To my friends and other readers of this blog who are black or from a community of color, who are Muslim or from any non-Christian faith, or who are LGTBQ+... especially if you are parents, I am here to tell you that for the election of President of the United States on November 3, 2020 I am going to vote for the candidate who I think will best serve the United States and whose policies and statements best align with my political opinion. 

My friend feels that voting for my preferred candidate, if he or she is from a third party, means my “principled stand is more important than getting in the game to fight for your children” and “a good way to let marginalized groups know that... abstract principles are more important than their very real lives”. I disagree. If you have seen any of my Facebook posts not related to my cats or my family or if you have read any other of my blog posts from the last ten years, you will know that my abstract principles demonstrate that I am, indeed, in the fight for marginalized groups. In my latest march, I was uncomfortably curious if I was going to get caught in the middle of a riot between neo-Nazis and Antifa. I have personally accompanied refugees from Syria to authorities’ offices to help them integrate. I tried and failed to ensure that a freshly married lesbian couple enjoyed the same vacation allotment as freshly married heterosexual couples. I have been on several occasions the only employee to recognize international women’s day by bringing carnations for my female colleagues. I as a white, middle-class male US American living in Europe do what I can for the non-white-male demographic in the United States. I normally don’t talk about my actions; but I have been challenged to stand by my voting principles.

For those who usually vote for a third party on principle do so in part because they feel that the two party system has directly contributed to the disenfranchisement and marginalization of certain communities and that a vote for a third party — even though it is likely never to count for much — is part of the fight to end the system leading to that marginalization.

Just to note: the Democrats and the Republicans have each nominated an old white man raised in privilege for their presidential candidate. Even the Green Party has nominated an old white man. Only the Libertarian party has nominated a woman for their presidential candidate.

I own up to my actions. I own up to the candidate I vote for. I will not tell you who to vote for. That is your choice. I will not shame you into voting for one of the two main parties because it might or might not help the fight for marginalized communities. I will not encourage you to vote for a specific party. 

I will, however, encourage you to vote. Register to vote by mail if you feel it will be unsafe to vote in person in November. Put on a mask and return your ballot at a polling station. If you feel safe enough to vote in person, put on you mask and do so. Take the day off of work to vote. I would say bring your kids so that they can see you exercising your democratic rights, but not in November 2020. The United States consistently has a voter turnout of less than 50% which means there has never been a candidate who won a majority in more than 40 years. If you really want to help marginalized communities, then get out there and vote and get that number up to 75% despite the current pandemic.

I have already chosen the candidate for whom I will vote. I will own it. I have make this statement public so that I can tell the parents of blacks, Muslims, and  LGTBQ children. I feel the candidate I will vote for will truly help the United States socially and economically, if he or she gets enough votes. It does not matter if the candidate belongs to one of the two main parties or to a third party. I vote for whom I think is best and I will rely on the international and United States postal system to get my ballot to the registrar on time.