By Kayla Loveless, Social Media Editor

You’re laying in bed, scrolling through TikTok, and come across a political account. You see that they posted a video about a Republican Congress member who is speaking out for abortion rights. You begin to watch more videos and see Democrats who don’t support gun control. 

Wait: Is it opposite day?

The two-party system has been used in the United States since shortly after we won our independence from Great Britain in 1776. However, it wasn’t until the 1850s that the Democratic and Republican parties became the main political parties in elections.

The parties then were not like how they are now. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican candidate to ever be elected president, and he spoke out against slavery. All Democratic candidates before him were for slavery.

Obviously, neither of the parties today would be for slavery. Today, we argue over other things like abortion, economic policy, immigration, gun control and gay rights. It seems like there is typically a clear line between these topics when it comes to the Democratic and Republican parties, but that’s not always the case. 

Many politicians try to walk more of a fine line on some issues, with Republicans supporting things that don’t exactly fit the “right-wing conservative” stereotype or Democrats who don’t support things that would be considered “left-wing.”

That’s why it’s extremely important to research the candidates you’re voting for instead of just checking “all Democrat” or “all Republican” on your ballot. You could end up accidentally voting for someone who doesn’t believe in the same ideas as you, and missing out on a candidate who mirrors your ideas extremely well.

The candidates who you’re expected to vote for are not always especially different when it comes to being right-wing or left-wing. Take President Joe Biden, for example: Many right-wing conservatives consider him to be too far left, while people who are left-wing consider him not to be “left” enough.

Thanks to all the anger surrounding today’s political climate, there are plenty of citizens who believe that the two-party system used in the United States is broken. Many ask, “Why should we only have two groups to choose between?” The answer is that parties outside the mainstream Republican and Democrat ranks don’t get many votes during elections. People believe that because the third party never wins, their vote for it won’t matter.

This is not always the case. While a third party has never won the presidential election, a third party has won a state (but not since Alabama Gov. George Wallace in 1968). Sometimes, however, a good third-party candidate can pull enough votes away from a Democrat or Republican to help decide the outcome. 

Still, a single vote can make an otherworldly difference. A candidate could win by a landslide or they could win by only a handful of votes. Your vote could be one in a thousand.

Voting is a privilege, one that a lot of people around the world are not graced with. It’s extremely important to exercise the privilege that you have after you turn 18 and go vote. Go to your local polling place and proudly cast your ballot.

Do your research and vote for who you want to vote for. And even with the stigma that surrounds today’s political affiliations, it’s important not to let politics affect your interactions with friends and family. Your relationships will always be more important than politics.

Junior Kayla Loveless can be reached at 24lovelesska73@daretolearn.org.