As it is widely known, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the frontrunners of the 2016 presidential election. Everyone seems to know about the leading Republican and Democratic Party candidates, but what about the third party candidates?

One of the leading 3^rd party candidates is Gary Johnson. He is an author, politician, and the Libertarian Party nominee for the 2016 election. Before running for president Johnson was the 29^th governor of New Mexico. Something that greatly appeals to Johnson’s supporters is his major support for the legalization of marijuana. Before campaigning for this year’s election, he was the CEO of Cannabis Sativa, Inc. Some other key facts about Johnson include:

Equal Marriage– Johnson says, “Government doesn’t belong in the bedroom, and should not impose its values upon marriage but instead should protect the rights of couples to engage in civil unions if they wish, as well as the rights of religious organizations to follow their beliefs.”

Education– Johnson believes in “School Choice” and thinks that a voucher system would be more effective [on a state level] in the school system.

Immigration– He takes two approaches to immigration in America. One, simplify legal immigration, and two, tackle illegal immigration. He says, “Immigration into the United States by ambitious, willing workers and their families is a good thing. Not only is it a historical and energizing part of American culture and experience, it is vital to our economy. These positive benefits should not be sacrificed or reduced in any solution to stop illegal immigration.”

Civil Liberties– Johnson claims that, “government should protect the value of individuals and their civil liberties” and “should not intervene in the private lives of individual citizens unnecessarily”

Trade– He supports free trade and opposes trade tariffs and barriers, believing that free market trade corrects inequities between trading partners.

Health Care– Johnson has stated, “Costs of health care are out of control and something needs to be done to return health care to fiscal solvency, I do not believe that government should be taking over the health care system. Instead a market-based approach should be the foundation of any solution. A health care insurance system that is privately owned and managed is the best approach to solving our health care problems”

Environment/ Clean Energy– He flat out states, “”America needs to be a land with a clean environment,” though still favors, “building new coal-fired and nuclear power plants”.

Aleppo– “What is Aleppo?” said Johnson.

Jill Stein is the Green Party’s nominee for the 2016 presidential election. Stein attended Harvard Medical School and graduated in 1979. After graduating she studied/ practiced internal medicine for 25 years. Stein became concerned about the correlation between people’s health and the condition of the environment. Alongside her political career, Stein also recorded musical albums with collaborator Ken Selcer in the folk-rock band Somebody’s Sister. She plays the conga and djembe drums and the guitar. During the 1990’s and the early 200’s they released multiple studio albums: Flashpoint, Somebody’s Sister, Green Sky, and Circuits to the Sun. Many of the songs focus on Stein’s political views: peace, justice, and climate action.

Equal Marriage- Jill Stein calls for protecting LGBT+ people from discrimination, and recently says, “”Orlando compels us to strive for a vision of justice in a country that respects diversity and allows people to exist freely in a safe and welcoming community – without prejudice against differences of race, religion, country of origin, sexual preference, gender identity or age.”

Education– Stein argues for “free higher public education going forward.” Stein favors canceling all student loan debt, saying that it “could be done using quantitative easing and without raising taxes”

Immigration– Stein is all for welcoming new citizens to the U.S. (documented or undocumented) and she says, “We call for actually creating a welcoming path to citizenship for those hard working, undocumented Americans who are actually a major part of the vitality and the diversity of our economy, our culture and our community”

Trade- “A free trade agreement is free if you’re a corporation. But if you’re a human being, it’s extremely costly because it undermines wages here and also in the countries that we’re in agreement here with. It allows a lot of dumping of cheap U.S. goods. That’s what generated the whole wave of undocumented immigrants into this country,” said Stein.

Health Care– Stein is in favor of replacing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) with a “Medicare-for-All” healthcare system and has said that it is an “illusion” that Obamacare is a “step in the right direction”.

Environment/ Clean Energy- Stein proposes that the United States transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

Both candidates are currently lacking high enough poll numbers to participate in the debates, but they hope to gain more votes and continue the race for presidency.

Do you like what you see with either of these candidates? Be sure to put in a vote for them before November 8^th.