I don’t think I am the only American who can confidently say that they aren’t particularly passionate about politics. The comings and goings of Washington, D.C. are typically background noise, something I am generally aware of but am never completely tuned into. I am a sports guy, a music guy, really anything but a politics guy. I can pinpoint a moment where that all (possibly temporarily) changed. August 26th, 2016. Lewiston, Maine.

In the seventh row of a sweltering meeting hall in the tiny Franco-American community, my girlfriend and I sat listening to Governors Bill Weld and Gary Johnson articulate my beliefs and impressions of what the United States of America should be. Free trade. Simpler taxes. Social inclusiveness. The end of the War on Drugs. Non-interventionist military use. The two running mates interpretation of the Libertarian Party beliefs were engrossing to me. I knew who I was voting for.

However, I am not writing to inform of you Governor Johnson’s accolades, though the list is impressive. I am not here to inform you on his policies; we all can use Google. I am not here to damn the Republican or Democratic candidates, even though they have given me a war chest of ammunition. I am writing because, for whatever reason, I feel the need to justify the use of my vote on a third party–and because for the first time in my life I have found a political cause worth writing about.

Our country is at a simultaneously terrifying and incredible time. A generation of millennials, a generation I am proudly part of, is on the precipice of bringing our country to new heights in a rebounding economy. Positive change is happening with social movements that, whether you agree with them or not, are rooted in eliminating hatred and prejudice. Health care and science are taking steps forward and will only continue to do so as technology improve. Yet here we are, staring down a double-barrel shotgun of presidential candidates that is loaded with ethical blanks. To many, understandably, this is a horrific notion.

After hearing Governor Johnson speak I was confident that I had found my presidential candidate. He was honest, insightful, and genuine. I began to support his campaign on social media and began to notice a trend: the perception that voting for Gary Johnson is a wasted voted and therefore those who support him should vote for one of the two major parties. I was even told I was “being naive and delusional” for voting for who I believe is the best candidate available this November.

I do not feel I am delusional. I do, however, feel as though Democracy as we know it is dying a slow death with every fourth November. An antiquated and ineffective party system continues to pull the puppet strings on our country while America’s largest voting block, the independent voter, sits quietly in the shadows, forced between the “lesser of two evils” when a presidential election comes around. But what if both candidates are just evil? What if there is no “lesser of”?

I understand the odds stacked against Gary Johnson. It is nearly impossible for a third party to win the presidency, especially with exclusion from the Presidential debates. Yet in no way, shape, or form will I ever believe that my vote is a “protest vote.” My vote carries the same weight, the same significance, and the same legitimacy as anyone else who will check a ballot box on November 8th. A vote for Gary Johnson is not a vote for Donald Trump, nor is it a vote for Hilary Clinton. It is a vote for Gary Johnson, his running mate Bill Weld, and nobody else. They are the two people who I want to see leading our country and thus, I am voting for them. It is as cut-and-dried as that.

I have become excited about politics for the first time because Gary Johnson and Bill Weld have given me a reason to be. Their values and their beliefs personify mine in presidential form. Sure, there are pieces of their policies that aren’t perfect, as is the case with any politician. In my eyes, their cause is worth getting behind. Their principles are worth fighting for and because of this I am proud to endorse their ticket.

As the weeks lead up to the 2016 Presidential Election you will be surrounded by information concerning the candidates as they coming crashing toward the finish line. You will see slanderous advertisements, incessant political Facebook shares, and flaring tempers as the country spirals towards it’s proverbial D-day. Much of it will be background noise, much like it was to me. But just remember that this all matters. The direction in which our country will head affects every single one us as long as we live in it.

I was told that if Donald Trump wins the presidency that “sleeping peacefully is the last thing I would be doing” in response to my support of Governor Johnson, theorizing my vote with the Libertarian ticket is a vote taken from the Democratic one. This could not be further from the truth. I will sleep peacefully come November 9th knowing that I voted for the person I felt was most fit to run the country and whose values I believed in. After all, when you check off your ballot box this autumn just remember: you are voting for a president, not against one. Take the time to study and vote for who you believe in, not for who you don’t believe in the least. The only wasted vote is the vote where you let anyone’s voice but your own be heard.