You’ve probably heard by now that Kanye West is running for president and there are a million and one theories as to why. Some say it’s because he wasn’t a Trump supporter to begin with, others say it’s a plot in favor of Trump. Whatever you do believe, I just want to say that voting for Kanye isn’t a great idea.

Why does my vote matter?

We’ve all heard it said before. “I’m just one person, what difference does my vote make.” I’m here to tell you that you’re voice matters, but just to further its importance I”m going to break this down even further.

1. Winner-Takes-All Ruins Democracy

The United States functions on a winner takes all system. Therefore, a candidate doesn’t need to have the majority of votes to win. They just need to get more than there opponents, and in the case of the presidential race, more of the electoral college.

We saw it happen in 2016, when Trump had less of the population votes but more delegates. One of the states that made that possible was Florida. Even though it was a close race in Florida, Trump received all 29 presidential electors.

To learn more about how toxic a winner-takes-all system is for the democracy, check out this video:

2. Vote for Those Who Can’t

As a child of immigrants, I know that voting isn’t always as simple as bubbling in a candidate during your trip to the library. If you have the opportunity to vote, please do so for those who can’t.

Vote for immigrants who are contributing to this country without a say, vote for those who have had their voting rights stripped away because of mistakes they made in their youth, vote for those who are under 18. Remember that silence is compliance, don’t comply to an unjust system.

3. You’re Vote Can Encourage Others

For those of you saying that just one vote won’t matter, think about it. If you go out and vote and encourage your friends to vote, that leads to more voting. Our generation thrives off of social media so if people are seeing everyone posting their “I Voted” stickers than others are going to want to join in. Your vote can serve as encouragement for others.

But both candidates are trash, why shouldn’t I vote for Kanye?

Let’s be serious. Don’t play yourself. Has Harambe taught you nothing?

If you watched the winner-takes-all video above, you already know how much voting third party and writing in votes can throw off an election. People assumed Hillary was going to win so thousands of them didn’t take their vote serious. Those Harambe votes didn’t do the swing states (like Florida) any good.

For many of us, this will be our first time voting for a presidential candidate. Do you really want to throw your vote away and risk continuing down the path we’re on as a country?

Final Takeaways

This is not the time for jokes and gags. Your votes matter and they will continue to matter. It isn’t always easy, but sometimes we’ve got to swallow the medicine.

Please make sure to educate yourself. One of my personal favorites is The Patriot Act. The entire show is available on Netflix but this latest season is also on YouTube. Hasan Minhaj brings attentions to issues that most people aren’t talking about and he often offers ways to solve the issues as a society.

The Daily Show tackles politics with a witty spin. Trevor Noah is one of my favorite comedians and he often integrates his South African background while addressing what’s going on in the U. S. It’s refreshing to see someone acknowledging that the president has fallen off his rails while also mentioning how soft the opposing side is.

All this to say, don’t waste your vote on Kanye.

Here’s more info on voting in Florida: