The Kennedy campaign is currently going through changes daily. On Aug. 23, Kennedy gave an “Address to the Nation” announcing that he was withdrawing his name from the ballot in the Swing States, but his name would remain on the ballot in the other 40 states.

Social media posts have been flying from the first moment that Nicole Shanahan leaked that this shift was a possibility.

Then Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with his supporters online saying, “A vote for Trump is a vote for Kennedy.”

Kennedy supporters have responded with a broad spectrum of reactions and emotions. Most of us understand that Kennedy’s decision is due to the Democratic National Committee’s choice to use lawfare (investing in the Clear Choice PAC) to eliminate their competitors Trump and Kennedy, instead of allowing citizens to vote for the candidate of their choice in a Primary Election and on a ballot in November. For the majority of citizens this was not a surprise, both political parties represent corporate interests not the citizen’s interests, allowing us to only vote for the lesser of two evils.

Kennedy has chosen the party that in his personal experience over the past year is the less evil. Even given this, Kennedy would not be asking us to vote for a presidential candidate unless he believed that Trump was seeking his counsel out of respect for his past success in fighting corporations and corruption in government agencies.

Kennedy and Shanahan are still on the ballot in Washington State, and offering Washington State voters a unique opportunity.

Volunteers at “We the People,” the name of the party, worked hard this past year to get our candidates on the Washington State ballot. Why? We supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr because he has a proven track record of successful litigation representing the average citizen against corporations and government agencies. His campaign platform clearly named the existential issues that threaten us and his specific plans to solve them.

Kennedy and Shanahan campaign challenged the two-party system.

Which campaigning for Kennedy I found the majority of voters that I spoke with are fed up with both Democrats and Republicans due to their alliance with corporate interests instead of serving the average citizen. Kennedy’s platform challenging corporate interests inspired voters to hope that finally their interests were being heard.

The issues that Kennedy raised as important to him are perhaps also important to you: end the forever wars, end corporate control of our government, support regenerative agriculture, end the health crisis by getting toxins out of our food and the environment, balance the federal budget and represent the middle and working class instead of the technocrats and academic elite.

We the People still believes in the values and goals for our nation that Kennedy espoused in his campaign for the presidency. And therefore, we are still supporting a vote for the Kennedy/Shannahan ticket. Our new goal is to get 5% of Washington voters to cast their vote for the third party choice of Kennedy/Shannahan. Then our hard work will not be in vain because Washington will have a political platform offering ballot access allowing average citizens to run for political offices. Other states also gained ballot access for We the People campaigning for the Kennedy/Shanahan ticket and so various states may gain a third party, allowing us to elect new leaders across the nation. Kennedy/Shanahan represent a shift in our political system towards a democracy that represents all of us. A  democracy where you don’t have to have millions to run for office, a democracy of, for, and by the people.

This is exciting stuff!

Sol Riou is a retired licensed social worker and a former regional coordinator for the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas of Team Kennedy.