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Dating may have never been more complicated than it has been this year as Hillary Clinton battles Donald Trump in the race for the presidency. The presidential election alone causes stress that can spill over into your relationship. But standing on the opposite side of the polls from your partner is a whole ‘nother (very bad) story.
“This particular election season has become so volatile,” says relationship and etiquette expert April Masini. “The conversations have changed.”
As a recent survey by Zola shows, rooting for opposite political parties can take its toll on your partnership. The registry site surveyed more than 800 couples, then crunched the numbers to see whether, in this climate, these guys and gals could stomach their partners’ votes for the opposition. Spoiler alert: Most of them can’t. In fact, supporting the opposite party in this race could flat-out ruin your relationship.
Zola found that a whopping 93 percent of Democrats would not marry someone who was voting for Donald Trump. (It’s probably a good thing, then, that 87 percent of those left-wingers are engaged or married to someone of the same political party.)
Republicans, on the other hand, are a little more forgiving of their partner’s crossing party lines. A full 59 percent of them said they would marry someone who plans to vote for Hillary Clinton. But, even so, 84 percent of the Republicans surveyed are engaged or married to another Republican.
$$$Y$$Y $$$$$ $$Y$$Y$$Y$$$$ $$$Y $$Y$$$$$$$ $$Y$$Y$$$$$$. $$Y$$$$$, $$$Y $$$$$$$$$Y$$$. Hillary Clinton at Donald Trump's wedding. 2005. Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/TOLV7x3Pj7
— $$$$$$$$ (@nestpasrouge) November 2, 2016
And lastly, Independents are perhaps the most understanding political party, with 77 percent saying they’d happily marry a Hillary Clinton supporter and 44 percent being amenable to exchanging “I dos” with someone who’d vote for Donald Trump. Interestingly, only 29 percent of the Independents surveyed are engaged or married to another Independent party member.
Of course, if you find yourself crazy about a man or woman who’s voting for a candidate you couldn’t support yourself, that doesn’t mean your relationship has to end or that you can never tie the knot, as these survey respondents may say.
See More: The Wives and Weddings of Donald Trump
“Ask yourself if this is a hill you want to die on,” suggests Masini. “What this cliché means is that there are so many deal breakers and sticky situations in relationships on a good day — so is this really what you want to fight about at the expense of the relationship?” Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. It’s something you need to think about, either way, if you find yourself voting for opposite candidates.
“There are lots of places in any relationship where there is disagreement,” Masini points out. “Do you really want to break up a relationship because of who you’re voting for? I know that for some the answer is yes, but just make sure you’re clear on your own answer. If the answer is no, then back off. Find your sense of humor, your ability to dodge aggressors, and an interest in other topics.”