Jeremy Davis, a columnist for University of Cincinnati’s newspaper, The News Record, writes an article in favor of third parties yesterday. The article is written for the explicit purpose of encouraging readers to vote for third parties.
We need to get someone else in there to diversify the debate a little more. Of course there are a small number of voices on both sides of the aisle that rely on principle, but they often get portrayed as outcasts by the establishment parties.
The monopoly that the Republicans and Democrats have over elections, both local and federal, is quite undemocratic. Those who choose to run as a third party have had to traditionally jump through so many hoops they’d be better off working for Cirque du Soleil rather than with the political clowns in office all around the country.
The rules of the elections are set by former leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties. They stifle the voices of individuals who choose to not associate themselves with two parties who are have proving that they are for the most part, quite incapable of upholding constitutional integrity.
I’ve heard so many times that a vote for a third-party candidate or a candidate who isn’t thought of as viable is a wasted vote. More often I’ve heard that some will go and simply vote for someone they view as the “lesser of two evils.” I don’t accept that argument because if you’re voting for the “lesser of two evils,” you’re still voting for evil.
To me, voting for a candidate — even if they seem like they have no chance of winning — is not a wasted vote. A wasted vote is voting for someone simply because they’re not the other guy.
The entire article is well worth reading, see here.