In this election cycle, I think it is fair to say that most Americans are largely disappointed in the choices between the two major parties. The history and recent actions of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are not what most would consider “Presidential.” I know that I am not the only one that has witnessed the widely expressed disappointment from both the Republicans and Democrats after the respective nominees were announced at their conventions.

The Democrats and Republicans showed an alarming amount of civil unrest within their own parties far before the general campaign. Many prominent Republicans expressed their general dislike for Trump. Skepticism was shown from the Democrats involving the Democratic National Convention email scandal that surrounded Clinton and her primary opponent Bernie Sanders. It is no real surprise that people are looking for a third option come Nov. 8. Fortunately, there are still a few options before we have to jump ship and move to a foreign land.

Many voters are unaware that there are two popular third-party candidates running for president this year. Jill Stein is running for the Green Party and Gary Johnson is running for the Libertarians. Both of these candidates will be on most or all of the state’s ballots when it comes time to vote.

Even if neither Johnson nor Stein make it to a debate, I will still be voting third-party. For the majority of my adult life I have considered myself an Independent, or more specifically a Libertarian, even though I am a registered Democrat and voted for Sanders in the primary.

I think that too many people are going to vote in the polls based on pride or previous party affiliation with an “I won, you lost” attitude. I want what is best for the country, therefore I do not look at it as a side-to-side battle. I look at it as what is best for the American people and who will work honestly to do the best job as president.

If the Democrats or Republicans take the White House, then I fear that their passion and drive will end when they win the election. The third-party has something to prove, whether it be the Greens or the Libertarians. They both will have to keep their word and make real changes if they ever hope of breaking the stranglehold of the two-party system in the long run.

There are many reasons to vote third-party. You can genuinely like the candidate you are voting for and you want to support their race for being the leader of America. You could want to break the duopoly hold of the two-party system on the American voters. Maybe you dislike the two most popular candidates so much that literally anyone is better. It is also possible that you align more with a third-party platform and you want to see those policies make positive changes in your country.

If anything, just having a third-party gives people a little more freedom, which should always be a positive possibility. I am voting third-party for all of these reasons, but most importantly because I think both Gary Johnson and Jill Stein have the American people’s well-being in their best interest.

When I cast my vote in November, knowing that Gary Johnson might lose, I can do so with a clean conscience knowing that I am voting for him because I like him and not because I am settling for someone who does not represent my values. I do not have to “pick the lesser of two evils,” I do not have to settle for any evil at all because Johnson is a great candidate.

I am looking for honesty and policies that will make a better future for Americans and I feel Johnson is the guy for the job. I will leave the polls knowing that I supported my fellow citizens in the best way possible and that they support a peaceful and truly progressive future for America. So now that you know I am in, are you?