In 1984, I cast my first presidential vote for Ronald Reagan. In the elections that followed, I voted for, in order: George H. W. Bush (twice), Bob Dole, George W. Bush (twice), John McCain, and Mitt Romney. Are you sensing a pattern? Looking back, I don’t regret any of my choices. Based on the information I had available to me, and even with the clarity of history, I am satisfied with the choices I made. My GOP voting streak ended in 2016.
As GOP candidates began their runs for the White House in 2015, I put myself firmly in the “never Trump” camp. I watched in disbelief as Donald Trump’s support started to swell and he began to take control of the primaries. I was especially dismayed to see that he was being endorsed by a number of Evangelical leaders while there were still viable and, in my opinion, more appealing candidates. I was baffled as to how these “men of God” could support a man whose life and rhetoric were so clearly the antithesis of the “Christian values” they claimed to hold dear. To make matters worse, the Democrats basically force-fed the country their party’s nominee, a candidate who, in my opinion, was just as bad.
I will acknowledge that, as the election approached, I considered voting for Trump. I considered him to be a man of low character and integrity, but I thought his administration’s policies would align with my preferences more than those of the other candidate. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was the “Grab them by the p***y” recording. His bragging about sexual assault and his utter lack of contriteness were, in my mind, beyond offensive. He lacked the bare minimum of moral qualifications to be president. What dismayed me just as much were the excuses being made by conservative Christians on his behalf. This is the same crowd that had gone after Bill Clinton with a vengeance under the banner of “Character Counts.” It was such a grotesque display of hypocrisy that it might have been comical if it weren't so infuriating. At that point, my conscience would not allow me to vote for either candidate, and I voted for a third-party candidate.
What happened during Trump’s four years as president did nothing to dissuade me from my previous evaluation of him as a non-viable choice for my vote. I don’t have the time here to do a deep dive on specific policies or actions. I will say that most things I viewed as positive policy-wise would have been carried out by any of the GOP presidential candidates. (For those who love to talk about judicial appointments, particularly the Supreme Court, the person most responsible for that happening is Mitch McConnell.) That which was distinctly Trumpian was not good. Examples include the revolving door of officials, advisors, and aides in and out of the White House and the vitriol aimed at those who left. His seeming admiration and fascination with authoritarian leaders of other nations, his tolerance of anyone who appeared to support him no matter how racist they might be (i.e., the Proud Boys), and his constant paranoia that he spread to his followers were all concerning. As the 2020 election approached, I remained firm in my conviction that voting for this man would violate my core values. I had serious misgivings about the new Democratic nominee (though not as many as for the previous one), so once again, I voted for a third-party candidate.
The events after the election confirmed my worst fears about Trump. His baseless and repeated accusations of widespread voter fraud fomented a sense of betrayal and anger among his followers,
leading to threats of violence against election officials and lawmakers in Arizona and Georgia. He tried to pressure Vice President Pence to spurn his constitutional duty in order to thwart the will of the people and the law of the land. All of this culminated in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. He sat and watched for hours as the crowd he incited violently sought to prevent Congress from doing what the Constitution instructs them to do—all in the name of Trump.
In the almost four years since that day, Trump has continued to deal in lies and narcissism. He has been found legally liable for sexual assault and culpable for defamation of character against his accuser. He has also been found legally liable for fraud and guilty by a jury on 34 felony counts related to paying off a porn star with campaign funds. He has indicated that he will attempt to use the power of his office and the justice system to exact revenge on his political foes. He has stated that he would not keep our NATO commitments if certain countries were attacked. He is uniquely unqualified to serve (a word that I am convinced has no meaning to him) as our president.
Once again, the Democrats have provided us with a candidate with whom I have serious misgivings. I confess that as election day gets closer, my hesitations are not being quelled. I do not live in a battleground state, so it would be easy for me to do what I have done in the past two elections. I just don’t feel that this time, simply voting for a third party is making a strong enough statement. This cannot continue, and while my small voice can only be heard by a very few, I believe I need to use it the best way I know how. Yesterday, I placed my presidential vote for Kamala Harris. I do not expect to agree with all or even most of her policies should she win, but I do believe that a Harris administration will seek to support and defend the Constitution more than a Trump administration would. I believe that Kamala Harris is more likely to seek to rebuild confidence in our government and institutions rather than tear them down for self-serving purposes, unlike Donald Trump. My hope is that our country can become a place where we look to understand, work with, and compromise with those with whom we disagree for the good of the country, rather than a place where we demonize and denigrate those across the aisle. Given our current choices, I believe that Kamala Harris gives us the best chance for that to happen. I have made my choice and cast my vote. My conscience is clear.
As a 13-year old, I saw 