This election was the first I was eligible to vote in, so I worked hard to do my research. The other day I was reading the voter booklet I received in the mail, and I was surprised at how biased I was/am. I tried to read the statements before seeing the political parties of the candidates, but rather than looking for ideas I agreed with, I found myself looking for ideas that agreed with my own political identity. I am sure many people have this same problem.

So why do political parties even exist? They only allow ways to vote for lazy people who do not want to do research. If candidates did not identify themselves politically, citizens of the United States would vote based on what they believe, not what they think they are supposed to believe.

Marissa McBride

Colbert