Democracy is considered the best form of governance, and rightly so. However, it could also be a tricky, unpredictable, and frustrating business.

Consider the following: You are the citizen of the world’s most powerful country, which is going to the polls to choose its next leader for four years. There is so much riding on your choice, not just domestically but across the globe. You are expected to choose wisely. But you have a problem. You are being called upon to choose between a near-octogenarian demagogue who is feared and disliked except by his die-hard followers and an octogenarian who is uninspiring and unpopular. What do you do? There are no easy answers.

The average voter is disillusioned. She so wishes to see a different slate of contenders who are younger, capable of rising above partisan politics, and relatable.

A few American analysts have already begun speculating about such an outcome on the premise that Trump would be disqualified by the courts and Biden would eventually respect the public mood. But that is more of a pipedream than a possibility as of now.

Back to the voter. His default reaction is to distance himself from most politicians and political parties, but not necessarily from politics. That is why a growing number of people, predominantly young, are refusing affiliation with either of the two major parties to maintain their independence.

They prefer to vote not along party lines but on merit. They are also choosing to make themselves heard through the ballot box rather than moping on the margins.

The findings of the monthly Gallup polls are instructive. In the........

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