Partisan politics has been the topic of conversation in Washington D.C. and the U.S. for the past four years. Some Democrats claim Obama's administration has had some trouble passing legislation because of the Republicans' inhibition of the passing of bills based solely on partisan politics.
This well-documented type of back-and-forth between the two major political parties has contributed to the increase in independent parties and individual candidates, known as write-in candidates, in the 2012 presidential election.
The idea of a write-in candidate may seem simple and self-explanatory, but to those candidates, it is more complex than simply encouraging people to defiantly scribble a name on the empty line of a ballot to avoid electing a highly-qualified, yet less-than-desirable candidate.
"I believe that one of the major political parties is going to win, and that voting for a write-in candidate is only taking away a vote from the candidate you like least," said Mason Lewis, graduate student in European history. "I think [write-in candidates] need to exist and are important to what our political process should be, but I fully support the parliamentary system that we have."
Can you win without selling your soul to one of the two major political parties?
The odds are against write-in candidates, but these individuals who know the statistics still question the election process and current political state and exercise their constitutional rights by taking on the challenge of becoming an official candidate.
"I think it's good for people to be a write-in candidate even if their chances are really slim because they're taking a strong stance on what they believe in," said Trey Armstrong, junior in anthropology.
"But, I'm going to stick with Obama because he actually has a chance of winning and I, for the most part, believe in his ideals, such as helping the middle and lower class. Also, I don't agree with the theory of the trickle-down effect."
Write-in candidacy for the presidential race is available in 43 states with eligibility requirements varying among each. Alabama's write-in hopefuls have no prerequisites for their votes to be counted in the general election, but require nine votes in the Electoral College. However, write-in candidates from all states are unable to access the federal election campaign finances.
Darrell Hykes of College Park, Ga. is one of currently 117 writein candidates with no ballot status for the 2012 presidential election throughout the U.S. who autonomously stand up for what they believe.
"On election day, I want to cast my vote for the candidate who best reflects my morals," Hykes said.
Without government funding and the power of a party, Hykes said he depends on donations, contribution and his own finances to begin his campaigning process next week.
"As president, I would go back to the original intent of the U.S. Constitution," Hykes said. I would go back to a lot of the Christian moral values in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights."
Hykes said he feels confident in the possibility of winning the election.
His first course of action as president would be balancing the federal budget by reducing spending, paying off the current debt and lowering taxes while staying true to his Christian roots.
"Can I win?" Hykes said.. "I think I can."
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