The Spectrum & Daily News Editorial Board

The USA TODAY Editorial Board is unanimous in its opinion that Donald Trump is unfit for the presidency.

The Spectrum & Daily News Editorial Board is unanimous, too: We unanimously disagree with the USA TODAY Editorial Board’s call for voters to blackball Trump, the Republican nominee in a presidential election unlike any we’ve witnessed in our lifetimes.

In speaking out against our own — The Spectrum & Daily News is a proud partner in the USA TODAY Network, after all — we want to be clear with our readers that the USA TODAY Editorial Board does not speak for us. Our opinions are clearly labeled, “In Our View,” and this editorial board has not and will not endorse any candidate for president.

Simply put, it’s not our job to tell you how to vote and why.

While we are not blind to the USA TODAY Editorial Board’s concerns about Trump — the national newspaper’s eight-person board lists eight primary points in defense of its opinion, including his “erratic” behavior, his racial and religious “prejudice,” and his “checkered” business history while also labeling him as a “serial liar” — this election, like all others before it, is about the will of the people.

There will be voters who best identify with Donald Trump. Those people should vote their conscience.

There will be other voters who best identify with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. Those people should vote their conscience.

Still others will side with Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson or Green Party candidate Jill Stein or even Utah independent Evan McMullin. Those people should vote their conscience.

USA TODAY's Editorial Board: Trump is 'unfit for the presidency'

There’s no doubt that emotions are running high in this presidential election. Our country is divided in its beliefs. There are racial and gender biases. Politics have come to overshadow principles in our government.

That combustibility has been on display across our fractured country with each major presidential endorsement.

To our south, in the Grand Canyon State, The Arizona Republic, another partner in the USA TODAY Network, has received death and bomb threats after backing Clinton, the first Democrat to receive an endorsement from the 126-year-old newspaper.

The Republic has reported mass subscription cancellations, as well.

The Cincinnati Enquirer, also part of the USA TODAY Network, has faced considerable backlash, too, after breaking from its conservative history and endorsing Clinton.

The two largest newspapers in Texas, the Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle, both typically conservative, have raised the ire of their most loyal readers by siding with Clinton over Trump.

The Detroit News couldn’t take Trump or Clinton. The 143-year-old newspaper, which had endorsed a Republican each time it had chosen sides since its founding in 1873, pledged support to Johnson.

In fact, Johnson has secured five newspaper endorsements, including Friday’s vote of confidence from The Chicago Tribune, a clear sign to us of the great division that exists today in our country.

The USA TODAY Editorial Board, until this year, had never taken sides in a presidential race.

“Instead, we’ve expressed opinions about the major issues and haven’t presumed to tell our readers, who have a variety of priorities and values, which choice is best for them,” the board wrote. “Because every presidential race is different, we revisit our no-endorsement policy every four years. We’ve never seen reason to alter our approach. Until now.”

Make no mistake: The Spectrum & Daily News is proud to be part of the USA TODAY Network, a collaboration that often provides us with the opportunity to share stories from our corner of the world with a national audience.

We need to be clear with our readers, however, that the opinions of the USA TODAY Editorial Board are theirs. Not ours.

The Spectrum & Daily News Editorial Board is unanimous only in its belief that our readers should choose the presidential candidate who best represents their own values and principles — be it Trump or Clinton or Johnson or anybody else.

When it’s your turn to vote in this presidential election, we encourage you to vote your conscience. It’s your right, your privilege, your choice.