Below (way below) is an article about voting for a third party…
If I can find my voice (I.e., the words) in the next week or so, I’ll chime in as well with my own thoughts regarding how voting for a third party doesn’t accomplish anything, other than to help elect that person whom you least like.
Yes, you may think that both candidates suck, and both might be unworthy of holding the most important job in our country, BUT, one of them is better than the other, whether by a slight amount or a huge amount. They are not equal in stature, in intelligence, in experience, etc. So, vote for the one, in your mind, that will do the better job of the two, instead of voting for a third party which will take votes away from that “least sucky” candidate.
This status post purposely is candidate neutral – it’s about voting and making your vote count. Voting for a third party candidate make a statement, but does nothing toward electing the “best” person of the two leading candidates. What it just might do, is elect a candidate whom you really, really didn’t want at all to be in that office, as opposed to that other candidate whom you didn’t like, but knew they could be (a bit) better that the other person.
Please, please, don’t waste your vote during this critical election. Please figure out which of the two leading candidates you think could do a better job than the other. This is what elections are all about. It’s not about “making a statement”, it’s about you making a decision (between two people – not three) as to whom you think would do the better job of leading this country for the next four years.
The same can be said for not voting – EVERYONE needs to vote this election. Sitting out this election, may bring about the same scenario: electing that person whom you thought was the worse of the two candidates.
(Thanks to Jeannine Miller, for bringing this article to my attention by “reacting”.)
Susan Zeilter posted the following comment and article:
This is a great post. I am reading today that some democrats are considering voting for 3rd party candidates. These folks they are voting for OR writing in will NEVER get enough electorate votes to win the Presidency. Though these maybe fine, even qualified people, voting for them IS a vote for Trump. Surely, that is NOT what they intend.
Think really hard about voting for a 3rd party candidate
From my friend Mike K:
I don’t know… I get what you are saying and I mostly agree but sometimes voting for 3rd party is a silent protest to the system. We are always told you have to vote. But sometimes I just don’t want to take part in the BS. Sometimes I like the 3rd party candidate the best, and truly think they would do the best job. Sometimes we as a people need more of an option than just to to choose between just chocolate and vanilla. I like cookie dough ice cream. I think most Americans like a little more variety too.
My rely to Mike’s (first) comment:
Mike, first off, thank you very much for your comment. It is truly appreciated.
I get that you like one of the third party candidates as “the best” candidate. I get that your voting for the 3rd party “is a silent protest to the system”. And, I get you “don’t want to take part in the BS”.
However, if the republican and democrat candidates are both now polling to get at least 40% of the vote (each), there is no way any of the third party candidates can get 45-50% of the vote to win (this is based on basic math, they will get, at most 20%. One hundred minus 40 minus 40 equals 20). Therefore, that 3rd party candidate cannot get elected into the office. [Yes, there has been one or two upsets with independent party candidates winning a few governor’s seats in the past (“Jesse”), but that is very rare, if non-existent when talking about a presidential election].
Mike, I understand you wanting variety, etc. However, AND, here is the thing: We are being offered Chocolate, and Vanilla, AND, Cookie Dough. BUT, in order to get your Cookie Dough, you will need to walk to the Antarctic, both ways, with no coat or shoes (the equivalent of getting 50 MILLION other voters to vote for the same candidate as you), and that will never happen since 40% already like the republican candidate, and 40% already like the Democrat candidate.
I implore you, since 1. I really, really like you, 2., I think you’re a really smart guy, to take the next three months to figure out *which* of the *two* leading candidates you *think* you will *most likely* be happy with, *once* they are in office. Because, if you do not vote, or vote for the 3rd party candidate of your choice, it will most likely help to put your least favorite candidate into office and they will be there for 4 years and you will then be either 1., complaining about them, or 2., kicking yourself for not voting for the other person that didn’t get elected.
This is no time to launch a “silent protest”, this is no time to let “the wrong person” win, just because you like a better candidate WHO ISN’T EVEN IN THE RUNNING (using a win, place or show horse racing analog).
YOU need to take part in this “BS”, because, and again, this is one of the points – WHAT if there were 20-30-40-50 million of people thinking like you (and, there are). and everyone sits out this election – because the top two leading candidates do suck – THEN, the ones that really want their candidate to win (I.e., the person who isn’t qualified “enough” to do the job, just might end up winning), and, again, this country of ours may be led by an inept person who might do something totally unexpected which causes the worst thing imaginable – even worse that the stuff that has happened from 2000 thru 2016, which could be another Great Recession, another (Nuclear) War, or something to do with totally getting rid of Education, etc.
Again, thanks for your comments – I do find them relevant and they helped me gather my thoughts as to what to say to combat people’s argument of “a silent protest”, or “don’t want to take part in this year’s BS”, etc. [I love you, Man!].
Mike’s reply to my comment:
Brian, all I can do is laugh as I am reading your reply. Not because I am laughing at you but mostly because you are right. But ya know… I have not personally met anyone who thinks electing Trump is a good idea. I have met Hillary supporters, and I get that. I don’t get why people like her, but I get it. I am flabbergasted as to how Trump has made it as far as he has. If I met 2 people that said yeah man Trump is my man, I would get it. But I have not. So I just don’t get it. I fully believe that these politicians get dirty and I am not at all surprised about the recent scandal to rock the Democrat party. And do not think for a second that the Republican party has not done the same thing. Imagine if a corporation elected its board members the way our presidents get elected. I get a 3rd party has no chance of getting elected, but why do we really only have two parties anyway? Why is it only Democrat and Republican? Can’t we think outside the box and just be like this guy over here…. This person who is independent, has some really great ideas. He or She should run our country. But unless you tack the name republican or democrat onto your title, you have zero chance of winning. Why is that? Seriously? I saw some study recently (I cant provide source) but most of us gravitate to the middle anyway and just have a few differences in opinion. That in the end, are not that huge. A friend of mine recently asked me who I am going to vote for. I ended up saying Hillary. Not because I like her but because of Trumps anti Muslim stance. I get his view but if he is too ignorant to understand that Muslims come from more than just the middle east, and that Muslims are citizens of every country on this planet, then he is just too ignorant to get my vote. That or he understands that and does not truly feel the way he does, but he is just saying that to get the vote. Which in that case, I can’t in good consciousnesses vote for him either. I would just rather not have to choose between getting a stick through my left eye or a stick through my right eye. And I love you too 🙂
Mike’s third (and final?) comment:
I know… These are my two real choices. I just…. Man… Ya know what I’m sayin?
From former colleague and friend Ed A:
Brian, you’re one of the smartest guys I know, and I know it’s not wise to disagree with you, but on this point, I disagree. Any time I say I’m voting for the Libertarian candidate, someone tells me I’m throwing my vote away. They’re wrong. It’s never a waste to vote for the candidate you think would do the best job, even if you know that he or she has no objective chance to actually be given the job. On the contrary, I think it’s a waste to take your one vote and give it to someone you despise, only because you think that person has a fighting chance to beat someone else you also despise.
I’d rather vote for Gary Johnson, and see him fail to win the election, than vote for either of the mainstream party candidates, and add my electoral support to a candidate I don’t really want to win. In the very worst case, at least my hands stay clean. But as I am sure you know, when you vote for a 3rd party candidate, you lend a certain amount of legitimacy to that party. I don’t know the specifics, and someone who is more politically adept than I can correct me, but I think when a minority party gets a certain percentage of the popular vote, that makes that party’s candidate eligible for federal election funding, secret service protection, and a spot on the platform at the debates. So a vote for Gary Johnson this year is not really about 2016. It’s as much as foreordained that Johnson will lose this election. But a vote for him this year gives the Libertarian candidate that much more traction in 2020, and more again in 2024. I’m resigned to the fact that one of those two clowns will most likely move into the White House next January; I’m hoping that when that person moves out, someone with a platform I can endorse will replace him or her.
My reply to Ed’s comment:
huh.
First, thanks for the “smartest guy” compliment!
Second, I love it when people disagree with me (here on FB, not so much at work – 😉🙄😱). The reason why I love people disagreeing with me here? Because, I can, hopefully, get a better understanding of the other perspective – such as yours, and, hopefully learn from it. I’m not always right (except, of course, when I’m at work), and there are times when I have my head in the sand, and I need “help” from my friends to see the other guy’s (gal’s) viewpoint. So, I’ve read what you wrote and like I said, I now understand where your (and others) heads are at, and yes, it does make sense to me.
For what it’s worth, Ed, a true leader (like yourself) is looking outwards five, ten, or even fifteen years – and that’s exactly what you’re doing now. On the other hand, I’m your typical day-to-day, week-to-week team lead, only looking forward toward the next few months (or, in this case, the next 4 years), and, I have to admit, because I’ve been brainwashed (for the last twenty-five or more years) about this country only being a two party system, I haven’t paid attention to any of the third party candidates.
You, Sir, are in this for the long haul (next 10-20 yrs), probably because you have children and want a good life for them (and their children), while I’m just trying to ensure we have a good (or great) president (rather than a completely inept one) these next four and a half years (until the next election in 2020).
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts – I will add both your comment and this response to my blog in the morning and will then shoot you a link to it – or, you can grab it off of a comment I made earlier to Mike K.
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[I just may have to renege on my offer of 25 cents for every intelligent comment my readers make – you guys/gals are eating away at my roll of laundry machine quarters 😱🙄😉🤓]
As far as not voting at all, on the one hand, I think it’s kind of a cop-out. It’s sort of like telling two people who disagree on some fundamental principle (e.g., tastes great vs less filling) that they’re both wrong, with the smug air of someone who has discovered the transcendent truth, but refusing to share that truth with them.
However, if we are to accept that, say, freedom *of* religion implies freedom *from* religion–and I submit that we are–then we have to similarly agree that the freedom *to* vote implies the freedom *from* voting. We may sincerely believe that it is morally questionable to choose not to vote (or to worship whatever unseen being or force we think is the Big Boss in these parts), we should nevertheless honor each other’s exercise of freedom in all its myriad facets.
I’d love to end this reply with another exhortation to get out and vote for Gary Johnson, but I’m not really a very political person.