Yahoo News asked voters in politically split relationships to share what it's like to support one presidential candidate when their significant others don't. Here's one voter's story.
FIRST PERSON | Being a 21-year-old Democratic in Philadelphia -- the city of arts, independence and brotherly love -- comes as naturally as breathing. But being that person and being in a relationship with a 21-year-old Republican isn't always so easy.
I'm an avid supporter of President Obama, while my boyfriend, Ramon, supports Mitt Romney. Since the start of our relationship, we haven't exactly seen eye-to-eye on all things political. For example, I'm pro-choice and Ramon is pro-life. My major concerns are women's issues, while Ramon is more concerned about the economy.
There are some things we do agree on, like the need for education reform and more green jobs, but there aren't many. Because one of us usually becomes annoyed with the other during political conversations, we typically avoid the subject altogether. We decided not to watch debates together or try to change each other's minds. With this presidential race, however, avoiding politics at home can be difficult. In the past couple of months, we've been talking about the presidential race much more than we'd like to.
Just last week, after a long day of hearing my coworkers' political opinions (some of which irritated me beyond words), I took all of my bottled-up comments and railed them at Ramon.
"Why are you voting for Romney?" I asked.
"You really want to talk about this?" he replied, shaking his head.
He laughed. I was infuriated; I didn't find it one bit funny.
Naturally, I yelled, "It's not funny! Don't you care about me and my rights as a woman?! I can't believe you're such a conservative! I might as well be with a 90-year-old!"
Ramon walked over to me and kissed me on the forehead. "Please don't leave me for a 90-year-old," he jokingly pleaded.
I mustered up the meanest look I could and shot it right at him, though I felt myself succumbing to his adorable attitude.
"Look," he continued, "I have my reasons for voting for Romney, like you have your reasons for voting for Obama. It's nothing against you or other women, and you know that."
Deep down, I did know his strongest reasons for voting Republican were his economic concerns, so I said nothing.
"I love you even if you are a liberal," he said. With a resigned tone, I replied, "I know. I love you too -- even if you're not 90."