I am probably a decent bit older than your son, but have a similar background. Not only politics but life in general is about choosing the least shitty option available to you. I had excellent testing scores in school myself but was only able to do a 2 year college program because I had to self fund majority of it. Lived and worked in foreign for a few years before coming home once my time was up and started my own business. I do pretty good for myself but honestly could be making six figures in some parts of the US if I would have been fortunate enough to be born over there. You just have to make do with the options that you have in life. Politics is the same thing, there's only a certain set of choices on the ballot and not voting isn't going to punish the parties any. Not voting is just letting someone else make the choice for you. Personally I felt the same way after being disappointed with previous governments until the Coalition came along whose candidates are mostly normal down to earth people who actually touch on some issues that are relevant to me. I was skeptical of voting third party at first until someone else pointed out I had nothing to lose and if I just stayed home that the choice would be made by others anyways. As long as voting is free it will only take a little bit of his time to have his opinion heard. Just my opinion and what I would tell him in your shoes.

You know I've spent some time thinking about our political history and current parallels lately in the lead up to this election and honestly it's funny how history repeats sometimes. In a way we are back to the genesis of the FNM where the Free PLP and the remnants of the UBP had to be grown adults and put aside some big differences to function as a viable opposition. The FNM had a very tumultuous history until a certain man named Ingraham had a buss up with his old party, came over, and brought with him a whole wave of grassroots support. The PLP think they are high and mighty right now but truthfully they have not even matched their 2012 levels of support in the past 2 general elections. Brave is old, and this is likely his last term no matter how it ends. Watch the road when this big bussup for PLP leadership to succeed him soon starts. Not everyone is a fan of the obvious player.

The results on Abaco are proof that we need a run off system at the very least, if not broader electoral reform. How can Cornish claim to represent the will of North Abaco going in on 36% of the vote? Fox did not win a majority either in Central and South. This island is very divided but most people here did not back the PLP for another term. We need a new electoral system.

The problem the FNM has (and has had since Ingraham retired) is literally who will replace him. I really don't see anyone with the charisma or pull to become PM in the FNM tbh.

I remarked to a few people that this would be the worst turnout of all time after going to vote. I went late in the morning but literally no one was in line at my station and usually there would be some people. It was a ghost town.

Fact is the Coalition is pulling a lot of the former FNM grassroots and without them the FNM has no way to win. It's literally back to the pre Ingraham FNM era of carrying a good bit of Grand Bahama and Family Island seats while retaining one or two strongholds on New Providence unless the FNM addresses the massive elephant in the room that is the Coalition. The FNM has not wanted to do so to deny them legitimacy but the fact is they are a "real" third party that not only contested two general elections but improved on their second showing which puts them leagues ahead of the DNA that rapidly collapsed after one decent election. The Coalition is not going anywhere and if the FNM wants to win again they will have to accept that.

Said it before, PhellP sold whatever little was left of their soul to the devil dealing with the numbers machine. The drug money of the 80s is now replaced with the numbers money of the 2000s. The devil will always come to collect on his deal and what comes after will never be good. Sad fact is Christianity in this country is a large farce and a lot of people have no morals and would sell their soul for some fried chicken rum and a marlin in a hat.

Ok here's the problem with your theory: the Coalition vote rose across the board and not just in one constituency. Yes some of the seats they came 2nd in were PhellP vote sinks anyways, but it goes to show that the message of the Coalition is resonating far better with the former FNM grassroots than it is with the current iteration of the party. If the FNM wants to ever win another election, or even continue existing as a meaningful political force, they will have to cut a deal with Lincoln and agree to not run against Coalition in certain seats next time. As long as we have this stupid FPTP system that is the only way they will win.

Time for the FNM to wind up and join ranks with the Coalition. The grassroots are with the CoI and not them and unless they do so it will be a continual repeat of the Pindling era type defeats.

Minnis was too arrogant and did not take his mandate seriously. He never thought the PhellP would bounce back from their big loss in 2017 and backslid on everything he and the FNM promised the Bahamian people. He literally had one of the biggest Parliamentary majorities in history, along with the best popular vote showing in history, and at the end of the day had nothing to show for it. History will consider him worse than Christie simply because of how much he was given that he squandered.