The political climate of this election season is one of the most contentious in recent memory.

What exactly caused this situation bears looking at more closely.

The historic unpopularity of both major party candidates has had several important and unintentional consequences.

Rather than casting a ballot in favor of either candidate, many people in the United States, especially young people, are opting to refrain from voting entirely or plan to vote for a third party candidate as a symbolic act of protest against this system that they feel has failed them.

In fact, about 44 percent of people aged 18-34 reported that they would vote for a third party candidate if the election were to take place tomorrow.

This would show 29 percent of that group support Gary Johnson and 15 percent Jill Stein, according to a recent polling conducted by Quinnipiac University.

This figure is incredibly significant in many ways, mostly because of the fact that the vast majority of these votes are not so much in favor of Johnson or Stein but are instead in retaliation against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

It seems that young people have embraced the notion of voting for a third party candidate or not voting at all.

Yet despite the high-minded intention of using a vote as a symbolic protests, this is a bad idea.

Each vote matters, and voting for a third party candidate does not constitute a real act of protest.

Johnson and Stein are, for worse or better, unlikely to make it to the White House — at least not this November.

Either Trump or Clinton will be our next president, and unless you feel that it truly doesn’t matter which one it is, your vote should be going to one of them.

I would even venture to say that not many young people actually know much about either Stein or Johnson or their respective parties.

For example, the Libertarian platform on which Johnson is running calls for an end to public education in favor of private schools nationwide, saying parents should have “responsibility for all funds expended for their children’s education.”

Similarly, Stein’s Green Party platform has some interesting points.

The very first point under “Domestic Security” states that Stein wants to launch an investigation into the role the George W. Bush Administration played in causing the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Needless to say, this isn’t exactly a major talking point for Stein.

The support these candidates receive from young people is based almost solely on the fact that they are not for Clinton or Trump. Frustration with our government, particularly the current election, is entirely justified.

However, a protest vote will only remove your voice from the larger conversation, especially considering what is at stake with this election.

So please don’t let your vote go to waste.

While voting for a third party member is certainly our given democratic ability, make sure you’ve fully researched the person who you believe should be the next commander-in-chief of our country.