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Voting third party...is a waste of a vote

suncowiam

Well-Known Member
There are a couple I can think of.....
1) At large voting helps with state & congressional elections.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-large
2) Weighted voting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weighted_voting

But the Big Two are very much opposed to such systems.
It threatens their lock on power.

Interesting... Concerning weighted voting, I'm sure many people will oppose it as its almost seems unconstitutional and also depends on how the weight is distributed.
 

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
This is the first time in my life that I will vote third party. Most likely Johnson, but Stein is starting to get more of my attention. However, when I mention this to others I get pretty much the same response; "You'd be throwing your vote away", "That is a waste of a vote", "That would just guarantee a Trump presidency", and so on.
In California, if you vote Republican, you're throwing your vote away as well. The majority will always vote democrats here. So with their reasoning, all Californians should vote democrats, or else we're just throwing our votes away.

I'm going to vote with my conscience, not with what two parties are trying to sell me on. It's not a sales campaign. I vote for who I believe is better fitted, not who they want me to vote for.

So I'm with you, I'm seriously thinking third party.

To me, those arguments sound exactly the same as someone who says they are not going to vote at all. "It's just one vote. Its not like it would make a difference"

Am I wasting a vote? I'm tired of voting for someone I hate less than the other.
And see where it's taken us? We just get worse and worse options each time, simply because it doesn't matter what they offer. If you have a restaurant and people are forced to eat there, will you try hard to make the best food? Nope. You don't have to. You can serve slop and people will eat it.

Quality increases most of the time when people have more options. It forces the supplies to compete. Today, there's no competition in the election. Both parties are just as corrupt. We won't get a better government until we're showing our strength by using our rights instead of being sweet talked into stupidity. "Follow the party lines" "Go this way" "Do this" All those things are to force us to be followers instead of leaders.

So again, vote with your heart and mind, not with the party line.
 

Saint Frankenstein

Here for the ride
Premium Member
It is a waste. Unless the electoral system is overhauled, none of those third party candidates have a chance or a prayer to win. Until or unless that happens, the only real choice you have is to go with one of the big two that more closely aligns with your beliefs and ideals and support the wing of the party that best reflects you. The parties actually aren't the same and are malleable to the wishes of their constituents.
 

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
If everyone did this, we would have a viable third party candidate and @Revoltingest could retire happy!
The reason we don't, is because we've been fed the propaganda, "Don't vote for the loser. Vote for the winner." It becomes the game of the Riddler (I think it is) in Batman, giving Batman two options, either Albert or his girlfriend (or something like that). Kill either one. But he picks the third option (whatever it was).
 

First Baseman

Retired athlete
I'm hoping Johnson will win at least one state but I doubt he will. He should have chosen a running mate that would help him carry one swing state that he might have a half decent chance of winning.
 

averageJOE

zombie
It is a waste. Unless the electoral system is overhauled, none of those third party candidates have a chance or a prayer to win. Until or unless that happens, the only real choice you have is to go with one of the big two that more closely aligns with your beliefs and ideals and support the wing of the party that best reflects you. The parties actually aren't the same and are malleable to the wishes of their constituents.
The way third party candidates have a chance is to first break this line of mentality^^^.

This election is the best time to seriously consider other options. (Options that are there for us!) Both parties are seriously divided. Both parties are corrupt. The only way to "overhaul" the electoral system is to actually vote for a third party candidate (assuming you agree with their policies that is). We are the only ones who can get them closer to and/or in the White House. We are the only ones who can get them onto the national debate stage. Voting for someone you hate less than the other is a waste of a vote.
 

averageJOE

zombie
And how many times have you won? =P

I agree to vote third party only in ideal but democracy best supports a two party system.

In this election, going third party risks Trump winning the election which isn't bad if your second choice is Trump.
How does voting third party risk Trump winning the election? Are you under the assumption that only democrats will be split?
 

Nietzsche

The Last Prussian
Premium Member
In California, if you vote Republican, you're throwing your vote away as well. The majority will always vote democrats here. So with their reasoning, all Californians should vote democrats, or else we're just throwing our votes away.

I'm going to vote with my conscience, not with what two parties are trying to sell me on. It's not a sales campaign. I vote for who I believe is better fitted, not who they want me to vote for.

So I'm with you, I'm seriously thinking third party.
How long have you been an American, again?
 

Akivah

Well-Known Member
This is the first time in my life that I will vote third party. Most likely Johnson, but Stein is starting to get more of my attention. However, when I mention this to others I get pretty much the same response; "You'd be throwing your vote away", "That is a waste of a vote", "That would just guarantee a Trump presidency", and so on.

To me, those arguments sound exactly the same as someone who says they are not going to vote at all. "It's just one vote. Its not like it would make a difference"

Am I wasting a vote? I'm tired of voting for someone I hate less than the other.

No, it's not a waste of a vote. You are voting FOR a candidate that you favor strongly. Already, you are ahead of most of America on that one.

And extending the "logic" of the waste-of-a-vote crowd, means that if one of the major parties' candidates was polling way behind, you'd be wasting a vote on them as well.
 

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
And extending the "logic" of the waste-of-a-vote crowd, means that if one of the major parties' candidates was polling way behind, you'd be wasting a vote on them as well.
Exactly.

Voting for any candidate who will lose is a "wasted vote." So why not have one candidate that we all vote for, like in any dictatorship? Then no one is wasting any.

Funny that Russia has more options than we do.
 

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
When have you ever seen an American election where it wasn't a sales campaign?
True dat.

And that's why we should vote from what we can learn about all the candidates, not just the ones with most influence and election power. We still might not choose the best one, but to pick one because "otherwise it's a lost vote" is even worse. I never liked the idea of "lost vote" for this reason.
 

suncowiam

Well-Known Member
How does voting third party risk Trump winning the election? Are you under the assumption that only democrats will be split?

There's no exact science behind this as its a social science but according to polls concerning this electrion, yes, it would hurt the Democrats more.

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/06/01/Why-Third-Party-Run-Could-Hurt-Clinton-More-Trump

Bloomberg who's been on the fence of both sides and declared an independent now, went as far as endorsing Clinton last night. The democrats are definitely concerned with third party votes.
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
This is the first time in my life that I will vote third party. Most likely Johnson, but Stein is starting to get more of my attention. However, when I mention this to others I get pretty much the same response; "You'd be throwing your vote away", "That is a waste of a vote", "That would just guarantee a Trump presidency", and so on.

To me, those arguments sound exactly the same as someone who says they are not going to vote at all. "It's just one vote. Its not like it would make a difference"

Am I wasting a vote? I'm tired of voting for someone I hate less than the other.

I'm starting to like the "rank choice voting" system she proposes at the 12 minute mark.

A wasted vote is one that is caste for a person you do not believe will lead the country in the direction you feel it should be going. That old line is total crap.
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
Of course, that is to misrepresent my reasons for voting as I plan.

Hey, Revoltingest......I'm not a Trump fan by a country mile, but I am genuinely interested in your reasoning for favoring him. This is not an attempt to get into a
Trump versus Hillary thing (not especially fond of her, either, although I tend to lean to the left on most things). I simply wish to know....no agendas. If you prefer, a PM is just fine, too.
 

buddhist

Well-Known Member
Voting for whom you believe in and reflects your ideals is never a waste, when it aligns with your personal conscience.

IMO to rather vote for "someone who can win" is worse than a waste of a vote - it is a slur against your higher self, in an effort to appease the greed and compulsions of the lower self.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
This is the first time in my life that I will vote third party. Most likely Johnson, but Stein is starting to get more of my attention. However, when I mention this to others I get pretty much the same response; "You'd be throwing your vote away", "That is a waste of a vote"
The thing is, voting third party is a waste of time, and you know it while you're doing it because you know not enough people are going to do it for it to make it matter - and you know during the results you're going to be a part of that small bit over there next to the giants.
Now, why so many will only vote Rep and/or Dem is something I do not know or understand. People are fed up with what we have, but yet there will only be a handful of third party victories throughout the nation, with very few of them being of any large-scale significance.
What I'm concerned about isn't the voting, it's the fact that so much is riding on this presidency with the power swing the Supreme Court to the Left or Right - and neither Trump or Pence should be able to run because Trump is going to be in over his head and Pence has already attempted the merge the ultra-Conservative Church with the state. But Hillary really isn't much better, but at least with her we can rest assured knowing she isn't going to put up a Supreme Court nomination who is going to clear the way to teach kids in science classes that god created everything as-is we see it today 6,000 years ago. It's like a cruel twisted joke that we have to put in Hillary to preserve what little sanity is left in America.
I would consider a third party or even a write in for Sanders if there wasn't so much at stake.
 
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