Gender, Race, or Religion....Why should any of these determine your vote?

In the last few days of checking the news, there has been another common theme that I have encountered in regards to the upcoming race for the next presidency. The Christian Science Monitor in particular has been sporting the headline, will "Race, Gender or Religion effect how you vote?". This question seems a bit odd to me because aren't we supposed to be voting based upon what it is that these candidates stand for, not because of their race, gender or religious beliefs? I don't really understand why if we are such a "politically correct" nation, this question is even being raised?

I feel that any vote that is given purely because of a physical aspect of a candidate is an extremely irresponsible one. One reader stated that "they will continue to vote for candidates who represent their values, regardless of their race, gender or religion", while others stated that these factors will play a role in choosing who they vote for in the coming election. I agree with the first statement. We are Americans and supposed to be voting for whoever we feel will be best for our nation. We are supposed to be voting based on their political agenda, not on what they look like. I don't know if the media is necessarily advocating this, but they are suggesting that these factors should have some impact on how we decide to vote, simply by putting articles like these out there. To me, this is not ok.