Letters | Why I won’t be voting for Harris or Trump in the election

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Politics has always been a central aspect of my life, shaping my world views and influencing my actions. I was a long-time staunch Democrat and considered myself fully liberal, but as the years passed, a shift began to occur within me. I did not really see it coming, but 2016 was a time of great political upheaval and uncertainty in US politics, and in my own mind as well.

In the midst of a tumultuous presidential election, where before I would have been a loyal Hillary Clinton supporter, I found myself grappling with questions about the nature of politics and the efficacy of the two-party system itself, which I began to see as simply two sides of the same coin, with the two parties ineffectively dealing with the real problems of real people.

It was then that I made a pivotal decision: to vote with my heart, not with my head. I resolved to prioritise my values and beliefs over partisan loyalty, to vote based on what I felt was right rather than what I thought was politically expedient. This shift in perspective marked a turning point in my political journey. No longer bound by the constraints of party allegiance, I began to see the shortcomings of both Republicans and Democrats.

It was against this backdrop of disillusionment that I discovered the Green Party – a seeming beacon of hope in a sea of political stagnation. Its commitment to progressive values and environmental sustainability sounded good to me. I saw this as a refreshing alternative to the status quo, and made the decision to cast aside the old paradigms of Republican vs Democrat and embrace a new path forward.