Parties work to convince voters a third-party vote is wasted, but can it be valuable?
It could happen, in some of the closely contested “battleground” states, as the media like to call them. Third-party votes could take away from either candidate just enough to prevent either of the two major party candidates from taking the state, if they all voted as a block, maybe.
But so far, most polls indicate voters considering a third-party vote are taking away from both sides, in essence, not being particularly detrimental to either.
So why vote third-party? Our two-party system is failing us. In this cycle, most Americans would prefer neither of the nominees, but voters have little recourse. You may argue here that a majority of the voters picked the candidates in the primaries, but vote counts, particularly on the Republican side, show the vast majority of voters actually voted for someone else than Trump.
And we all know about the underhanded dealings that help Ms. Clinton defeat Bernie Sanders, culminating is several high DNC officials losing their jobs, making many Americans feel cheated.
No, third-party candidates can’t win this election. But what would happen if instead of 8% of the votes, one of the candidates was able to garner 20% or more? Would that cause the major parties to take notice and adjust their strategies for the next cycle? Would it give other parties the encouragement to dare to think the next cycle they may get 30-35% of the votes?
It’s not going to change overnight. But small victories win major wars, and movements get started by generating a little success on which to build and get stronger. The country needs more voices, and we shouldn’t have to choose between two unsatisfactory candidates for such an important office.
Just to be clear, I am not advocating voting for a third-party candidate, or either of the two major party nominees. I am calling for voters to become aware of what is going on in the country, not from sound bites or Facebook posts by extreme factions on either side, but to listen to the candidates themselves, research their past history and current positions on the topics.
I am asking for voters to forget what they are supposed to do, and decide for themselves what they think they should do.
I don’t care for which candidate you cast your vote, but you should.
