“Where are your Checks and Balances? Your president may easily become a king”- Patrick Henry. The president of the United States should hold such a limited role that this election should not bring fear into the common American mind. Certain groups or positions simply hold too much power. This can be best explained through the power held in the federal government and in the two main parties.

Going back to fundamental principles, it is important to recall that the primary function of a federal government is to control military affairs. The federal government can simply not represent it’s people as well as local and state governments can. In order to protect an individual’s rights more fully, government affairs that are not military related should be spread to states where individual’s can have more direct involvement. When deemed necessary issues of healthcare and education should function on a state level. Across a huge nation it is simply logistically impossible for a few individuals to handle these issues. Problems can be most easily be solved on a local basis. Perhaps, a greater issue to look at lies in the fact that the federal government carries power to legalize something that has been formerly made illegal. Important moral issues can only be properly decided on a state by state basis. In the current moment, nine judges have the power to legalize gay marriage across the entire nation. In 1973, a small group of judges elected by our President, the Supreme Court, legalized abortion across the whole United States and said that no state is allowed to decide otherwise. The Supreme Court took on this same exact responsibility in 2015 when they legalized gay marriage nationwide.

There is also a power hold over the politics of the nation by the two main political parties. Millions of dollars of federal funding and control of the commission on presidential debates has contributed to a two-party stronghold that seems nearly unbreakable. According to the Federal Election Commission,$18,248,300 went to each of the two major parties, just for their conventions, in 2012. Around the same amount went to the democratic and republican parties in 2016. Neither the green party or the Libertarian party received any amount of federal funding for their conventions, due to the fact that they have failed to receive five percent of the popular vote in the most recent election. These parties have also been unable to receive any campaign funding. Although public funding is becoming lower and lower, it has been a festering wound to third parties, and it doesn’t seem that the infection will disappear soon. The Federal Election Commission states that in 2016 it only sent 2 million dollars in campaign funding to the two prominent parties, down from $139,473,821 split between just the Republicans and Democrats in 2008 and $37,852,708 in 2012. Not only is campaign funding unfair and unnecessary, The Republican and Democratic Parties largely control the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). A 15% average in nationwide polls is required to be on the presidential debate stage. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, have both admitted that this percentage is insurmountable for a 3rd party candidate, especially considering that many polls either didn’t include Gary Johnson or Jill Stein as an option, or didn’t mention them as an option until after the voters had been asked to decide between Trump and Clinton.

The election is rigged, in a way, but not even in the way Trump claims it is rigged. It’s rigged against independent candidates, such as Gary Johnson and Evan McMullin. Even after earning over ten percent in dozens of national polls, and handing over a petition with over 1 million signatures to “Let Gary Debate”,  Johnson was not allowed into the presidential debates. In a CNN/ORC International poll, Johnson polled at %13 and he wasn’t even mentioned until the 3rd question on page five.  Voters had already been asked to decide between Trump and Clinton but Johnson still polled at 13 percent! Americans have been fed the lie for years that a vote for a candidate that is neither running as a Democrat or Republican is a wasted vote. It only appears that way but a REUTERS poll shows that 65% of adults think our country is headed in the wrong direction. The truth is the majority of the nation agrees ideologically with Johnson yet only one out of ten is brave enough to say that they will deny tradition and vote for Johnson.

We reject the cliché that a citizen who chooses a principled third-party candidate is squandering his or her vote. Look at the number of fed-up Americans telling pollsters they clamor for alternatives to Trump and Clinton. What we’re recommending will appeal less to people who think tactically than to conscientious Americans so infuriated that they want to send a message about the failings of the major parties and their candidates. Put short:

We offer this endorsement to encourage voters who want to feel comfortable with their choice. Who want to vote for someone they can admire. Chicago tribune editorial Endorsing Libertarian Presidential Candidate, Gary Johnson

If no candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote, which would mean reaching 270, the top three candidates are voted on in the House of Representatives. Just by winning one state each, Johnson and McMullin could possibly prevent either Clinton or Trump from reaching 270 electoral votes. McMullin has the best chance in Utah where some polls have him tied with Clinton and Trump at 26%. Johnson’s best chance is the state He was former governor of, New Mexico. I am not sure whether Johnson will win New Mexico and McMullin will win Utah and throw the decision to the House of Representatives. What I am sure of is that every extra percent and every extra vote for Gary Johnson will open the eyes of Americans, so independents and 3rd party candidates can win in future elections. A vote on conscience is never a wasted vote. As priorly stated the federal government holds too much power, and thus the presidential position holds too much power. If anyone truly believes in a limited government, they cannot in good conscience vote for Hillary Clinton, as a vote for her is a vote for continued increase of federal power. Neither can one who believes in states rights, fully support Johnson, because he will federally legalize marijuana and will refuse to send abortion and gay marriage rulings to the state level. The only candidate who will, according to their own promise, limit federal power is Donald Trump. Trump promises to impose term limits and to repeal Roe vs. Wade and the recent Supreme Court ruling which legalizes gay marriage and lets individual states decide. Gary Johnson and Evan McMullin are the only candidates who will help to ruin the 2 party stranglehold, and thus open the opportunity for better Libertarian candidates to limit the size of government. So I offer my support to Evan McMullin, and Gary Johnson to at least offer the American people a chance.

However, no matter who wins this election there is still a way to fix this nation. I encourage individual states to challenge federal law, considering that under true libertarian principle the states should have the final say. I also respect the plan put forward by the speaker of the house, Paul Ryan, and fellow Republican congressman to move forward no matter who is elected president. Please watch this video and visit abetterway.speaker.gov for more info!