Gustavo Contreras/Staff Writer
On April 8 at 11:45 a.m., Senator Bernie Sanders went live on his website to notify supporters that he is suspending his campaign in the Democratic Primary.
It is important to note that, even though he did suspend his campaign, he is still asking for supporters to vote for him in the primary; gaining delegates will mean to gain influence.
In the case that Joe Biden becomes the nominee, choosing voter apathy for the general election may not be the best way to represent yourself.
In the 2020 Florida Democratic Primaries, 108,930 voters in Miami-Dade and Broward County voted for a candidate that was not Biden. That many votes could still be effective in the general election, while you exercise your right to vote.
In the Democratic Party, a noticeable amount of Democrats are in favor of Sanders. Some individuals have opted-out of voting for Biden, creating a divide between the party. But, with Sanders and the rest of the Democratic nominees dropping out, young voters still have choices on who to represent themselves.
On ongoing and current issues regarding the presidency, if your issue is removing Trump, diverse Democrat voting would help the current election.
Since moderate voters are decisive during elections, earning moderate support is a massive necessity for either Democrat or Republican candidate. In 2016, Hillary Clinton was not as popular with the moderates, and generally, Democrats need at least 55% of moderate votes to win the election. But in this election, Biden appeases to the moderate Democrats and is favored more by swing voters than President Trump. Moderate voters that preferred other candidates should be encouraged to vote for Joe Biden if they want to prioritize beating Trump.
But if policies were your main reason for supporting other candidates, voting for the Democratic nominee in the general election could help place your favored candidate in the cabinet.
Regarding Sanders dropping out, Biden announced on Twitter his commitment to earn the votes of Sanders supporters, and Democrats can be incentivized to vote for Biden; he has previously adopted progressive plans, such as free college tuition for qualifying students.
If Biden doesn’t sit well as an option, your vote can still make a grand difference on parties that could represent you.
Democrats who viewed progressive policies and still want to contribute to their ideas should look to vote for the Green Party. The Green Party’s ideology closely resembles social policies that are backed by Democratic candidates like Elizabeth Warren or Sanders.
For example, Sanders and Yang supporters that believed in more social programs such as a universal basic income should vote for candidate Howie Hawkins, the Green Party nominee in November. The party, which has similar policies to Sanders, also has recently invited fellow Sanders supporters to join.
Although the Green Party is a minority party, it would only need 5% of the popular vote to receive federal funding. If you hold your beliefs strong, contributing your vote to the Green Party can change the nation’s political structure.
Your vote still matters, so vote to represent yourself.
Featured image by Shelly Prevost on Flickr.
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