Sarah O'Brien/The Daily Iowan Senator Hillary Clinton waves to the crowd after her speech at the Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Clinton told the crowd what her goals will be if she is elected to the White House.

The 2016 presidential election has been unlike any other in recent memory.

According to the statistics-based news site fivethirtyeight.com, both major-party candidates have historically high unfavorable ratings. Any number of scandals that have unfolded on both sides of the aisle in the past 18 months may have derailed a political campaign in the past; but again, this election is different. One way or another, though, there has to be a candidate that will do the better job as the president of the United States.

The Daily Iowan Editorial Board believes that this candidate is the Democrat, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton is by no means perfect — in fact, far from it. But she possesses qualities other candidates simply do not: experience, a proven track record, the correct disposition for the Oval Office, and the policies to back it all up.

The DI Editorial Board believes that many factors push Clinton to the top of the pile. But five major policy points in particular have broad impacts on this election: the economy, education, the environment, race relations, and national security.

Beginning with the economy: According to the Tax Policy Center, Clinton’s proposal would create a revenue increase of $1.4 trillion over 10 years. Donald Trump’s plan, on the other hand, would create a $6.2 trillion revenue decrease. Moreover, Oxford Economics projects that Trump’s plan would result in the loss of 4 million jobs by 2021. Clinton’s? An increase of 200,000 jobs over that same time span.

As for education, Clinton’s plan for college education is both reasonable and valuable. She has proposed refinancing current student loans and slowly implementing a system that provides free in-state tuition for students in families making under $125,000 a year. Education is the great equalizer. An achievable plan to provide a college education to students across the country will have long-lasting implications. For comparison, Trump’s most prominent proposal for crippling student debt is incentivizing universities to make a “good-faith effort” to decrease costs.

Issues concerning the environment are just as pressing as those concerning education. The science has proved that global climate change is — at least partially — caused by human activity. Any candidate who excuses this is inexcusable. Clinton’s commitment to clean energy and to shifting dependence to internal renewable sources is exemplary.

Tensions between law enforcement and black Americans are embarrassingly high, and this relationship needs to be mended, rather than exasperated. Clinton advocates changing current prison sentencing laws and gun laws, both of which lead to more incarcerated individuals and more untimely deaths. Trump’s rhetoric inflames racial tensions rather than sooths them.

Many consider national security the most important issue of this election because the U.S. faces a variety of threats. Candidates differ mostly in their desired size of the military and its intended use. Clinton’s proposals do not involve drastically changing the size of our fleets or branches (as Trump’s do), but rather focus on the improvement of both combat and information technology. Her plan is logical and focuses on prevention, not just destruction.

It cannot be ignored, however, that Clinton has shown questionable judgment during her long public-service career. Getting to the truth of her email scandal proved more difficult than it should have, and as a result, she has been constantly attacked for her missteps and her true political nature. Supporters who attempt to deny the existence of these problems are simply wrong.

Trump’s campaign is tailored for the lowest common denominator, pandering to the gullible and the hateful. Trump uses scare tactics and sensationalism backed not by facts but by intense rhetoric to entice voters. Catch phrases like “bad hombres” and “nasty woman” aside, there are reasons to support Trump. He makes big promises to his followers and finds support due in part to the success he has achieved in business.

But do not forget, Trump’s campaign is dangerous.

To equate Trump’s anger and exaggeration to a national show of strength is simply wrong. A vote for Trump is a vote for cowardice and ignorance. His claim to love war and the destruction that goes along with it is in opposition to many of the great leaders in the world’s history. As Eisenhower once put it, “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”

Clinton proves to be the best, most well-rounded candidate in the race. But the ultimate decision is yours. The Daily Iowan Editorial Board makes only one request: educate yourself. The 21st century has given us the ability to learn about candidates on the walk from the car to our polling station. There is no excuse not to make an educated vote.