How should you vote if you don't like the candidates?
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Many voters have likely found themselves in this quandary: a desire to head to the ballot box, but a dislike for the candidates.
Ahead of Super Tuesday, Andrea from Sauk Centre wants to know: How should you vote if you don't like the candidates? Or is it better to simply not vote?
Dedication to duty is a trait of the North Star State with Minnesota regularly ranked number one overall in the country for voter turnout.
"From my perspective, a vote for the lesser of two evils remains a vote for evil. And so, I would prefer not to vote for either candidate," said voter Mike.
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While he would skip the ballot box, Syd finds a way.
"I just went with the one who was a little more reasonable," said Syd.
Howard Levine is a political science professor at the University of Minnesota.
"You don't need to like them, you just need to like one more than the other," Levine said.
When faced with the quandary, Levine said to vote along your party line.
"You should consider, especially if you don't like the particular faces that represent the parties, at least what the parties themselves represent," he said.
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Regardless of a candidate's personality, the odds are high that they're going to align with how their party stands on key issue, says Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.
"If there's one that comes closest to where your views and values are, then consider giving that person your vote," Simon said. "That said, people really do have options in Minnesota if they don't like who the candidates are."
You can always write in a candidate on the ballot. And uniquely on the Democratic ballot for the presidential primary, voters can choose uncommitted.
"It's a way for people to participate even if they don't like what's on the menu, so to speak," Simon said.
How did "uncommitted" end up on the ballot? Simon said it is up to each state.
"The individual political parties who are participating in the presidential primary get to submit a list to our office and that list includes candidate names and it includes other options. So, the DFL Party for example chose to have an 'uncommitted' line," he said.
Some voters feel that going all the way to your polling place just to choose "uncommitted" feels like a waste of time. Others feel it's a fair option.
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"For a primary vote, that's fine. I think on the final big election day vote, no, you want to make an actual choice," said Syd.
Simply going to the voting booth could be a pressured decision if a voter doesn't know which candidate to bubble in. In part because of civic duty, and more recently, a sometimes red reminder people proudly wear.
Does the "I Voted" sticker play a role in pressuring people to vote? Levine thinks so, calling the sticker a form of virtue signaling. Not only do people wear the sticker throughout the day, many post pictures wearing the sticker on social media.
"It's emphasizing the idea that voting is a pro-social behavior and that you should do it," he said.
The right to vote also comes with the right not to vote either. But standing on the sidelines isn't what Minnesota is known for.
"Your vote is your voice, first and foremost. Don't leave it on the table, don't give it up," Simon said.
Besides Minnesota, five other Super Tuesday states also have "uncommitted" on at least one ballot. Some, like North Carolina, list it as "no preference."