With the presidential election process in full swing, the hallways of Bishop Blanchet have been filled with talk of two people: Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. Winning their party nominations, democratic and republican respectively, Clinton and Trump have caused a mass frenzy due to their strong personalities within the voting masses, which include some very lucky members of the senior class.

Although some have pledged allegiance to either Clinton or Trump, a number of students are looking to find alternative candidates that are less, for a lack of better words, outlandish. Some names have been introduced, like Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate, and Jill Stein from the Green Party. For many students, the allure of these candidates is simply that they are not Trump or Clinton.

Controversial issues have consistently plagued both Trump’s and Clinton’s campaigns. On Trump’s side, his foreign policy specifically regarding Mexico and his proposed “wall” has further deterred liberals and those empathetic to the challenges of immigration. For Hilary, her lifelong devotion to husband Bill Clinton regardless of his infidelity has painted her as cold, unfeeling, and, as the internet has named her, a robot.

With these controversies and more in mind, young voters turning to Johnson and Stein is not surprising. These candidates are now looking to capitalize on the democratic and republican nominees’ unpopularity. However, these candidates are not living up to students’ expectations for being more “normal” than Trump or Hilary.

On Thursday, September 8, candidate Johnson was featured on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to speak to his foreign policy. The Libertarian was asked a series of questions by host Mike Barnicle, all to which he responded eloquently until he was asked one simple question.

“What would you do if you were elected about Aleppo?”

Johnson, confused, said, “And what is Aleppo?”

For a presidential candidate to not know about the so-called “epicenter” of refugee activity in Syria is shocking, to say the least. Johnson later added that he believed Barnicle to be saying an acronym, however, the mishap is still concerning and has brought up discussion about Johnson’s ability to perform as President.

Jill Stein has also suffered a recent controversy in her candidacy. On Wednesday, September 7, a warrant out for Jill Stein and her running mate’s arrests dropped in Morton County, North Dakota for criminal trespass and mischief. Near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation, which has been disputedly used for the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline, protesters have set up, saying that the pipeline has violated sacred land. Candidate Jill Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, were photographed spray-painting messages of support for the Sioux on construction equipment.

Near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation, which has been disputably used for the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline, protesters have set up, saying that the pipeline has violated sacred land. Candidate Jill Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, were photographed spray-painting messages of support for the Sioux on construction equipment.

Although both Johnson and Stein have gained popularity among students, many have been exposed to their flaws as candidates through these controversies. To continue their campaigns onto the debate stage, each candidate must poll at 15%. Currently, Johnson is polling at 9.2%, and Jill Stein at 2.7%.

So, the question remains, who are you voting for?