The decision-making process that American voters face is multifaceted. Some voters look toward specific policy stances. Others consider leadership ability or charisma. This year, many voters are considering candidates’ ability to beat President Trump.

If you are a Democratic voter in Illinois, you must decide which of these factors is most important to you and decide who you want to support in the primary election on March 17.

Policy preference, leadership  and electability are all worthwhile concerns in any election. But one issue that does not receive enough attention is the unity of the country. Congress is more polarized than ever, and families seem to be having more and more difficulty getting along at Thanksgiving dinner each year. Many Americans blame Trump for supporting a toxic political climate while others argue that he is a symptom of a bigger problem.

Disunity is present in America, but is it a bad thing? The United States was ripped apart once in 1860. Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States, and people were not able to find common ground on the institution of slavery. The United States went to war with itself, leading to the deadliest war in American history.

Should the northern states have tried to find common ground with slave owners? Perhaps Abraham Lincoln should have run on a platform of the gradual abolition of slavery through the use of economic mechanisms. Obviously, the answer to both questions is “No.” Political incrementalism seems hardly morally acceptable in this case.

The election of Abraham Lincoln is a concrete example of when political disunity is a necessary cost for accomplishing a hard-line policy goal. Whether the Civil War could have been avoided after Abraham Lincoln’s election is up for debate, but Lincoln’s policy stance is an explicit rejection of the concerns of slave owners. The question for Americans and especially Democratic voters today is whether achieving major policy goals today is worth exacerbating disunity between the Democrats and Republicans.

The top six policy issues for Democrats are healthcare, the economy, income inequality, climate change, gun policy and immigration. None of these topics are bound to set off a civil war in the near future, but Democrats and Republicans profoundly disagree on nearly all of them. The speed and comprehensiveness at which policy is adopted can drive a wedge between parties. Compromise between members of Congress and the President can reveal that the government is making a good faith effort to represent all Americans.

That being said, there is a very strong case to be made in favor of voting for a worse political climate. A vote for a left-wing candidate in this election cycle would elevate progressive values to new heights at the cost of harmony at Thanksgiving dinner.

How should these considerations practically affect how you vote? Biden has sold himself as a candidate for the return of “the good old days,” unity and status quo. Buttigieg is a mayor who has positioned himself as an intellectual, Christian, gay, veteran, Rhodes Scholar, moderate. Yang is someone who believes that he can appeal across party lines through his proposal of a universal basic income. Sanders and Warren have unapologetically been pushing themes of revolution and strong progressive values.

A vote for Sanders, Warren or Trump is a vote for disunity. They are willing to reject representing some Americans for the sake of accomplishing major policy initiatives. Biden is the most obvious unity candidate. He touts his experience in driving compromise in Congress and encourages voters to reminisce about the days of decency in the Obama White House.

Whether you choose to vote for further partisan division or otherwise, vote with conviction of where you think that the country should go. Above all, vote. You can check if you are registered to vote here, which Democrat you agree with the most here and the latest polls to measure who has the best electability here.

David is a senior in LAS. 

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