Dear Montana, Who Do You Vote For In This Situation?

Soon Montanans will be going to the polls and casting their votes on issues and candidates. Of course, one of the most beautiful parts of our nation is the right to vote, and that should never be taken for granted, but I want to ask a question and I'm being completely serious about this.

What if you don't like any of the candidates?

It's no secret that over the last couple of decades politics has gotten ugly. So many of the ads that you see and hear on TV, social media, and radio have nothing to do with the candidate's qualifications or accomplishments, and everything to do with what is terrible about the candidate's opponent.

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Here in Montana, it's no different. I see and hear commercials with convicted killers, snakes, and all kinds of things that marketing and political firms outside of Montana are coming up with to try and sway voters to one side or the other. So, what if you aren't a fan of either side? What if you feel like you don't have someone representing you and your views? What do you do then?

Do you vote for the "lesser evil"?

I've heard that my entire life and my first thought is always, "Yea, that makes sense...except you're still voting for evil." Do you just stay home and not vote at all? I mean that's an option, but I also think that voting is something that every eligible American should utilize.

Is it time to clean house and reframe the way we look at things? Is a two-party system outdated? Should we have stricter term limits? Should we hold the press more accountable? These are all questions that I think deserve a healthy debate.

Let me ask you this: would you, in the current climate, run for political office knowing that not only you, but your family, is going to be subject to scrutiny related to lies, half-truths, or things that you did years ago? Would you be willing to put them through that? I certainly wouldn't, and I think that is one of the reasons that good men and women don't run more often.