In the past few weeks a backlash has been seen, namely against two women — Gloria Steinem and Madeline Albright — for both essentially saying that women should vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman.

Steinem said that “women tend to get more radical because they lose power as they age” and that “when you’re young, you’re thinking Where are the boys, they boys are with Bernie [Sanders].”

Critics of this quote state that Steinem is saying that young women are only siding with Sanders because other young men are on his side. Steinem was criticizing young women for not voting for Clinton.

Albright said at a rally for Clinton that “there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.”

Albright is saying that we should only vote for Clinton because of her gender, not because of her accomplishments within her career and because of her political views.

By making these comments, Albright dwindles Clinton’s campaign down to one thing: gender. She is saying that as a woman, it is my duty to vote for Clinton — if I don’t I am not advocating for women’s rights and advancement. I am not going to vote for Clinton just because she is a woman. That is counterproductive.

This does not mean that Clinton should not get the nomination, but I am saying that she should not get it because of her gender. I am not saying that change shouldn’t happen, I am well aware that every single one of our presidents have been men, but that shouldn’t be the sole reason to vote for a candidate. There are other factors to consider when voting for the president of the United States.

While Clinton being a woman does give her a different perspective, it does not mean that she will be the best president. Her abilities as president and her gender are not the same thing.

I will never vote for a candidate based on whether they are male or female. I won’t vote for Clinton because she is a woman. I won’t not vote for Clinton because she is a woman.

I would vote for her because of her political views, because of her accomplishments, her resume and what she stands for. If a man had all of the qualities Clinton does, then I would vote for them if I thought that those qualities made the best president.

We should be voting based on how our views align with the candidate — not because of their race, gender, or socioeconomic background. 

When people say “I am voting for Clinton because she is a woman” I want to cringe. Don’t let that be the reason you vote for her — let it be the fact that you think she has the best resume, the best political views and the best ability as president.

I would be thrilled to have a woman president, but I won’t let that sway my voting decision. I’ll vote for the best candidate regardless of race and gender. I’ll vote based on how my political views align with theirs, not because the candidate is a man or a woman.