In the upcoming 2016 presidential election, we all know that our two major candidates are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Out of frustration with both of them, many people I know are suggesting ideas such as voting for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson or writing in other candidates, ranging from Harambe to a Giant Meteor. I have thought about writing in Michael Voris of Church Militant TV.

I feel that in these presidential elections, the vice presidential candidates are always ignored. However, it is common knowledge that if the president dies in office, the vice president takes over.

Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the running mates on the Democrat and Republican ballots, Tim Kaine and Mike Pence.

I will analyze these two using the same litmus as I did last year with the large pool of presidential candidates: The 5 Non-Negotiables.

For those who do not know, the 5 Non-Negotiables come from the “Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics,” a document produced by Catholic Answers listing how faithful Catholics should vote based off of social issues.

The 5 Non-Negotiable social issues include the following: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and same-sex marriage.

According to this document and to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church, faithful Catholics should vote for the candidate whose views most align with the Church on these issues.

What makes this election interesting is how both vice presidential candidates were, at least in some point in their lives, Catholic.

Pence converted to Evangelical Christianity, likely due to poor leadership in the post-Vatican II turmoil in the United States.

Kaine still professes to be Catholic, but has been heavily criticized by clergy and lay faithful alike for opposing several teachings of the Church.

On the first issue, Pence has been given a 100 percent pro-life record by the National Right to Life Committee.

In contrast, Kaine has stated that he personally opposes abortion, but feels the government needs to stay out of it, a view espoused by many Catholics who sell their souls to radical liberalism.

It must also be noted Kaine has a 100 percent NARAL Pro-Choice America rating. Both candidates have supported restrictions to embryonic stem cell research to varying degrees.

While no information was found regarding Kaine’s stance on cloning, Pence voted yes on a proposed ban of human cloning for the sake of research. I was unable to find either candidate’s stance on euthanasia.

Regarding the highly contentious fifth issue listed, Kaine has gone in full support of same-sex marriage, even prophesying that the Catholic Church will change on this issue someday.

Obviously, with him supposedly being a Catholic, this was not received well in the authentic Catholic media world.

In fact, many of the faithful wonder why his bishop, Francis DiLorenzo, of Virginia, refuses to enact Canon Law 915 upon him, which would forbid him from receiving Holy Eucharist in his state of sin.

Ironically, it is the ex-Catholic, Pence, who supports the traditional family, even voting yes on a proposed amendment restricting marriage to one man and one woman.

Overall, I feel the VP candidates are ignored too much. I viewed the only VP debate last week, though I found it hard to pay attention to it since most of the debate was Pence trying to answer questions in a cool and composed manner while hothead Kaine interrupted him left and right.

Needless to say, the debate that ensued between the friends that joined me in our lounge was more entertaining than the actual VP debate, but I can say with confidence that Pence won.

I think we can all agree both Trump and Clinton are wretched people unfit for the White House. However, educated voters need to factor in the running mates before making a choice in voting.