Every four years there is an important question that we have to answer collectively.

Who are we as a nation? It is a question that can only be answered by how we vote in the presidential election.

Who we pick to be President of the United States of America will ultimately represent all of us at home and in front of the rest of the world.

So let’s take a look at our current choices.

There’s Donald Trump, who some might call a racist, sexist (or any other “-ist” you can think of) clown.

Then there’s Hillary Clinton, whose name and image are shrouded in more scandals and controversies than her husband’s.

And that’s pretty much it.

That’s what we get to choose from. The majority of America doesn’t trust either of them. Most of us don’t even like either of them.

If that’s the case, then where are our other options?

If this is a nation founded on democracy, why are we so dissatisfied?

But here we are again, trying to figure out which candidate is the “lesser of two evils.”

It’s like deciding whether you want a thief or a murderer in your home. That’s the problem, though.

The lesser of two evils is still evil.

Our electoral system is corrupt, and we know it.

We want things to change and we want to feel like our voices matter, but we don’t know what we can do about it.

My opinion?

Vote third party.

Third parties bring another voice to the conversation.

We have a system where two polar opposite parties are at a constant tug-of-war with each other, and nothing actually gets resolved because they will always refuse to work together to achieve a common goal.

If we add other groups to the mix, congressmen and women with different opinions; maybe they can actually get stuff done.

Maybe there won’t be any more government shutdowns.

Maybe we won’t have to go another eight months with only eight Supreme Court justices.

Maybe we will finally swear in politicians that care more about the public they serve than their own political careers.

Something to consider though, is that in the 2016 presidential election at least, no matter how intensely American citizens hate the major party candidates, Gary Johnson or Jill Stein will probably not win.

They may take a lot of votes away from Trump and Clinton, and they will definitely have an effect on the outcome of the election, but right now there are just too many people who are convinced that voting third party would be wasting their votes.

I disagree with them.

First of all, a vote is only wasted when it isn’t counted. In other words, the only way to throw your vote away is to not vote at all. No matter what you decide to do, please do not stay at home on election day.

If you do decide to go against the grain and vote third party, that means you really believe in that candidate’s message, and you’re willing to do something about it.

There’s nothing wasteful about that.

Second, the Republicans and Democrats have a powerful hold on the elections.

Both parties make it nearly impossible for an outsider to intercede, even when that outsider is running for their party (*ahem* Bernie).

On top of that, only candidates from the two major parties are allowed to participate in the presidential debates unless another candidate is polling at a minimum of 15 percent.

If you ask me, that’s a pretty steep hill to climb, especially when Johnson and Stein have received little to no media coverage, except for their occasional moments of imperfection.

Johnson’s “Aleppo” mishap, for example.

I’m willing to bet that if Johnson and Stein had been able to debate alongside Trump and Clinton, there would have been more substance to the discussion.

It probably would have been more than Trump’s tax returns, Clinton’s emails and China.

So how do we get to that ideal debate? We vote.

Voting third party is the equivalent to standing up to our bipartisan system and saying, “I’ve had enough.”

If you love Trump or Clinton, that’s great. Vote for them.

But by making the decision to decide differently, we can set the precedent for future generations. Change doesn’t happen overnight.

Maybe it won’t work this time around, or even four years from now, but we have to start somewhere, right?