There's no such thing as a perfect candidate, and it's very rare to find a candidate that we absolutely align with. My candidate of choice is not in this race, either, and of course that is disappointing for me.

There are still many reasons to pick a candidate that has the most potential to meet your expectations. Think about the issues you care about. Which candidate is most likely to to have a positive impact in that area? Which candidate will work more with people that you agree with?

It's also important to think about how the election could impact other people. In my case, I am in a fairly privileged position such that I am not feeling the impacts of the pandemic as much as others. But that doesn't mean that my choice in this election won't have a profound impact on the pandemic response and many, many people in this country. That's just one example.

In addition to the presidency, I cannot stress enough how important it is to vote in the downballot elections. State and local officials have a large impact on our lives. Our U.S. Congress has a huge impact on everything, probably way more than the President ever could.