In my sixth grade social studies class, we followed the first campaign and election of now President Barack Obama throughout the school year. I was very interested in the election, and I clearly remember being excited for the day I would be able to vote. Four years later, as a sophomore in high school, I was still too young, but equally interested and eager. When I found out our high school was having a mock election, I was thrilled. There was a ballot box in the lobby, and one by one we went out to vote, which made us all feel like real adults getting to voice our opinion.

Now I am nineteen years old, and the time for me to cast my vote for our nation’s president for the first time is just around the corner, and the candidates I get to choose from are not what my sixth grade self was expecting. I can see why people refuse to vote for Donald Trump, and I can see why people refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton. There are always the third-party candidates, but would choosing a third-party be wasting your vote? In the last century, we have only had presidents who were either Republicans or Democrats. The likelihood of this changing is very slim. As the Observer stated, “At some point things stop being a coincidence and start becoming a pattern.” That being said, I don’t believe any of this year’s candidates like Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, or Bernie Sanders would have been our best options either.

But it is our civic duty to choose, so I did. This November, I am choosing to use my vote on Donald Trump, and here is why. He is not being paid to say things he doesn’t believe in. With a net worth of over $4.5 billion, he has more than enough money to support himself without needing extra endorsements. For as much grief  as he has gotten for his “small loan of a million dollars” comment, I do understand what he means. $1 million is really not a whole lot of money when you look at all he has built and created. Turning $1 million into $4.5 billion is the equivalent of turning one dollar into $4,500. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to start with a dollar and end up with $4,500? It would be nearly impossible. He is clearly a very good business person. Trump says exactly what he thinks. He does not sugar coat anything, and he does not believe that everything always needs to be so “politically correct.” As I stated earlier, he is a creator. He has new, fresh ideas because he’s a political outsider, and isn’t an ordinary presidential candidate.

When I express my reasons for why I am on Trump’s side, I usually get a response either calling him a “racist bigot” or a liar, or a comment on how he wants to deport all immigrants, none of which are true. Many people believe Trump is a liar because political websites are telling them so. According to Politifact, only four percent of anything Trump says is true, but Politifact is certainly not something to be relied on for information. Politifact does not fact-check all statements Trump makes. They pick and choose which should be checked. So only four percent of the statements they have chosen are true, but even then that is an exaggeration. Their rating scale goes from “true”, “mostly true”, all the way down to “pants on fire.” Even when Trump’s statements are proven to be completely factual, they only give him a “mostly true” or “half true” rating. They unfairly leave out crucial parts of Trump’s statements. They go out of their way to find things they can turn against him and other Republicans. Politifact is clearly biased towards the left side, and I find it difficult to have faith in their flawed rating system.

Donald Trump is not anti-immigration; he is anti-illegal immigration. He wants all  immigrants who come to our country to follow the law and get the necessary documents like everybody else. I personally think wanting people to follow the law is a positive trait for a leader to have, but the other half of America that doesn’t agree with me doesn’t even think following the law is a necessary trait for a candidate themselves to have.

Donald Trump doesn’t have a filter, but Hillary Clinton doesn’t have a conscious. From her role in Benghazi, to the deleted emails, to the plot with the DNC to make sure she won the nomination; time and time again, she is let off the hook for breaking the law. She most recently weaseled her way out of being indicted for having a private server in her basement full of information on national security. By doing so, she put the nation’s safety and well-being at risk. I cannot bring myself to support such an untruthful, selfish candidate.

I have heard a lot of people say things like, “it’s about time we have a female in office.” I am a young woman, and I would love nothing more to see a woman in office, but not this one. Voting for someone based on their gender is not right; someone should win the presidential election based on their ideas and success, not based on their gender.

 This election, my first time ever getting to vote, I am asked to pick either someone who is highly opinionated or a criminal. Someone who talks too much and lets his petty comments get him in trouble or someone who has knowingly left four Americans to die with no repercussions. To me, the choice is very clear. If I am asked to choose between an overly opinionated candidate or an untruthful, deceptive, law-breaking candidate, I will gladly choose loud and opinionated every single time.

Emily Gibbens is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]