Dear Bernie or Bust Supporters,

On Nov. 8, America is going to make a choice.

They are either going to elect the first woman to the Oval Office or they are going to elect real-estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump. Both have faults, that much is clear. One plagued by never-ending political scandals, the other of racist and sexist policies and acts.

Both can seem unappealing.

I know how appealing a third party candidate or alternate choice may be; how appealing it is to remain hopeful and defiant that a candidate is going to come along and fix all our political woes and worries. I know that, to a lot of people, that person is Bernie Sanders.

Though no longer an official candidate for president, Sanders (D-VT) is still the first choice for many. The Bernie or Bust Facebook page has more than 20,000 members. According to an article by The Atlantic, only 55 percent of Bernie Sanders supporters said they were going to back Hillary Clinton–the official Democratic nominee–for president.

In the same article by The Atlantic, a CNN poll showed 8 percent would vote for Trump, 13 percent would vote for Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and 18 percent would vote for Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee.

This is an enormous problem. After Sanders’ defeat, all or most of his supporters should have swung to Clinton–especially after his endorsement of her.

But that didn’t really happen. Sanders’ support flew in several different directions. In the latest poll done by Bloomberg, Clinton is only up nine points. The Real Clear Politics electoral map  has 112 electoral votes still in play. With that, Trump can still hypothetically win.

Yes, come January 20, Trump could be president of the United States.

Another article done by The Atlantic predicts Trump’s economic policy could “spark an international financial crisis.” He has bragged about sexually assaulting women and has made comments offending immigrants, people of Latinx heritage and people of Muslim faith. His companies have continuously gone bankrupt; he hasn’t paid federal income tax for years. Yet, still, millions want to give Trump the nuclear codes.

Bernie or Bust supporters, America needs you. They need you to make your vote count. This election is still too close for your protest vote. Choose one of the two viable candidates instead of throwing your vote away. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future to make your voice heard. Believe me, I’m as frustrated with the current system as anybody. I, too, once felt the Bern. Then Trump started gaining in the polls, winning primaries, all the while being as offensive as possible.

So I soaked myself in some Hillary Clinton Aloe Vera and made a choice. I’m asking you, begging you, to make the same one.

Clinton is a seasoned politician. Not only was she the first lady, but she was also a senator and secretary of state. She has made a huge impact in health care and education reform. Does she have faults? Of course. What politician doesn’t? But Trump is a man without a filter. He’s a man who tweeted at Americans asking them to “check out a sex tape” (that doesn’t exist) at 5:30 in the morning and publicly shamed a woman for gaining weight.

Yes Bernie of Busters, there is someone much, much worse than Clinton.

So on Nov. 8, please leave your protest vote at home. Too much is in jeopardy for you to throw it away.

Sincerely,
A college student proudly voting for Hillary Clinton

Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of DonkeyHotey’s Flickr account.

Sara Karlovitch is a freshman journalism and government and politics major and can be reached at skarlovi@terpmail.umd.edu.