Usually, I try to inject a fair amount of irreverent humor into my blogs, but on topics like this, it’s difficult. The 2016 election is a pretty serious matter. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a joke, but a very serious one.

I’ll admit up front I am no political watchdog; I have no special insight on Washington D.C., the presidential candidates, or any shady organizations.

However, I have been watching the people quite closely. Seeing their anger and frustration has led me to believe in some likely outcomes, and I’ll do my best to stay unbiased towards any one candidate.

Here are my predictions for the 2016 election:

1. People Will Forget About Everything but the Presidential Race

Yes, it’s a major piece in the American puzzle, but I haven’t met too many people who vote for anything except the president.

Washington keeps chugging along whether there’s an election or not and we can’t forget that. Plus, we can’t forget about whatever local matters need a vote.

When all is said and done, the president is just one person. We must keep our eyes on the whole picture.

2. Smallest Winning Margin Ever

Remarkably few people are happy with their choices. Democrats who wanted Bernie are only voting for Hillary because they’re scared of Trump. Likewise, many Republicans don’t really like Trump, but at least he’s not Hillary, so…

There’s no landslide support on either side. These two candidates (and their campaigns) are so divisive that America is being split right down the middle. And yet, nobody’s happy. Which is why I also predict…

3. More Third-Party Votes than Ever Before

Even just four years ago, finding someone who voted third-party was somewhat rare in my experience. Now, I’m seeing third-party supporters pop up in random places.

I don’t think any third-party candidate has a real chance of winning this year, but I would bet that the total amount of third-party votes will reach an all-time high.

People are getting tired of the two-party system. This election will only exacerbate that frustration.

4. Violence…Maybe Worse

The anger between the parties is too strong. When one candidate loses in November, someone is going to be angry.

I foresee violence, rioting, hate crimes, all those things that happen when people put their faith in one human. I certainly don’t endorse this kind of behavior, but I do think it’s coming.

Worse…I’m predicting a civil war in my lifetime. Once more, the anger in this country is too strong. Everybody is frustrated with the system except those profiting from it. One day, someone will do something crazy. Others will rally around them. And we’ll have a disaster on our hands, one far less clean-cut than the north-south division of the last Civil War.

And I wonder if it won’t start with an election.

5. Ache for Fundamental Change  

This is the one unifying theme of all these predictions: Americans are tired of America as it’s currently defined. Whether they want to go backwards or forwards, no one wants to stay the same.

From what I’ve seen, only a fraction of people really believe in Hillary. Only a fraction really believe in Trump. The others would happily go elsewhere if they had the choice.

So when the election results come in, more people will blame the system itself rather than a candidate. They’ll wish things could be different, then find others who wish the same.

During this election season, I’ve heard more about third parties, alternative voting systems, Washington reforms, anarchism, and the like than ever before. This election has infuriated Americans and made us ask how we ever got these two options for candidates.

You’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” That’s what’s happening. We do hate the game, all of us, because it makes us pawns rather than players.

So we’re talking, thinking, planning, and proposing. We’re looking less at figureheads and more at foundations. We’re discovering that freedom is something no president can promise us, but something we must take for ourselves.

We don’t hate our country. Quite the opposite. We just want to save our nation from itself.