Ok , You're On Your Way To Vote In The 2008 Elections , And Your Favorite Candidate Is In The Single Digits.

Question

Your favorite candidate is in the single digits in the polls . Obviously and absolutely zero chance of winning. . . .. What do you do ?

Do You Vote For Your Candidate , Knowing Your Vote For Him/Her Won't Help Them Get Elected ?
OR
Do You Pick A Candidate That Most Closely Reflects Your Views And Try To Help That One Get Elected ?

And Why ?

For anyone who still chooses to vote for a candidate that has no chance , I really would like to see a good explanation for it . I mean you've got to take into consideration that your candidate is just not gonna win today and someone else will win . Wouldn't it then make much more sense to try and get your second choice elected ?

Great Point Suthrnlyts !!

Not the primaries folks .

SORRY , Let me make it clear . I'm referring to the General Election in November .

Votemo - I'm sorry , but could you elaborate as to why ? I keep reading your answer and all I can draw from it is 'because' . I wanna know what you think you would've accomplished that day by voting for someone you knew could not win . Really , really curious , cause you'd also know that you were driving to the polling place knowing full well that your vote would never be recognized .

Mr. Lebowski - Long time no see !! How ya doin ? Hey , help me to understand your point of view . I keep thinking about it and I can't help but think that my vote wasn't gonna matter . And despite my own personal wishes , I'd also know that Everybody else was gonna elect 'somebody' whether I liked it or not . Also I'd be troubled that my vote for a loser(no harm intended) could very well affect the outcome and I just might end up helping my LEAST favorite candidate get elected .

Ahhh Mr. Lebowski -- I said 'single digits' . Those guys were not in single digits .

Outrage - I was implying a third party candidate . Sorry , I shoulda made that clear .

Answer 1

What I would do depends a lot on the office that we are voting on.

Years ago I voted straight democrat, my parents influence. When Carter destroyed our economy I almost went bankrupt, started looking at the Democrats and determined they were in it for themselves and screw America.

I switched, started voting for the person, that was not too bad but the people I helped elect started doing things in opposition of what they said when they made election promises to me. They were voting with their party 99.9% of the time.

Disenchanted I switched to Republicans as the parties values aligned better with mine than the socialist agenda the Democrats were pushing. I voted straight republican until eight years ago.

Oh I will vote for a Republican President since I voted for Perot and got Clinton. I will never do that again. Pick the guy whose party most closely aligns with your values and vote for them. There is no way today a third party candidate can win the WH and this will not change until there are about 150 third party people in congress. If you want a third party pres, you better start putting third party people in congress.

For congress, I know they will vote with their party. I know that the careerists are destroying our country, for the most part both parties although I have a thing about socialists. So I vote for the person for congress who has 12 years or less in Congress regardless of Repub or Dem. I figure the new guy cannot screw up too bad even if a dem and they will more likely vote for the constituents than party as compared to the careerists. If I like how they did I vote for them again, if not I vote for the new guy.

The one exception to my rule today, if they are known socialists I will vote against them everytime.

I pay close attention to the state legislature, this is where the future of America lies, and it is where the founding fathers focused the powers. The US Congress have stolen our rights and our money and wasted it, they have taken powers from the States and from us. They seek to make us subjects rather than citizens and resent us not represent us, the amnesty travesty is a perfect example of this.

We have to rid congress of the socialists and the careerists for this country to survive, we have to restore the powers to the states and the people or our liberty will perish.

Answer 2

By General Elections, I review the key player's positions, words, and actions since one of them will be voted into office. Like GratefulDead06, I feel most times like I've had to pick the 'lesser of two evils' because the person I felt would do a better job was knocked out in the primaries. So as much as an Independent Party Candidate may have a good message and the actions to back it up, pole numbers that low will not get them into office - just be a spoiler to one parties' candidate. I will not waste my vote on that end - it will be toward which of the 'evils' at that point in time I feel may be able to best carry out the duties of the President. And that will be whichever party candidate meets those qualifications I am looking for.

Answer 3

Well the candidate that most closely reflects my views and my hopes for improving our country would be the candidate that I would vote for. Single digits or not. Before I first voted a good friend of mine told me something along these lines, "If you are unhappy on how our country is and haven't done the most simple of things to change it (voting) then you have no right to complain". In this my views in politics had exploded into really caring about politics in general. Polls mean nothing to me, actions do. How do I know that my candidate, in single digits, isn't going to get voted for by millions of other people? Polls can be done online by people that could possibly not vote or are underage. I don't put my faith in polls, I put them into the person I see fit to run our country....no matter their party affiliation.

Man, you sure do ask some thought provoking questions!

Answer 4

I would vote for my Candidate.

When I choose to give my support someone it is because I believe they best reflect my view. Therefore there would be know one besides him that I would wish to give my vote.

Since I will never vote for a Communist/democrat. How in the world could I choose the other Candidate ?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A Third Party ? Oh no, I would never go that rout. My Man will get my vote, or no one will.

Answer 5

Since I am probably going to vote for a major party candidate I hope my candidate is not in single digits in November of 2008 so I probably would not change my vote since I would not vote for other major party and doubt if a third party candidate that possibly is on horizon would reflect my views. If I am somehow voting 3rd party and they are in single digits yes I would change because as already said I saw what happened in 1992 as people I knew voted for Perot over the Budget issue and got stuck with Clinton who they disagreed with on many issues.

Answer 6

Just a quiet observation...if "my" candidate was so low in the polls, I would know it BEFORE being on my way to vote, and would have already picked my second choice. Loyal or not, it would be kind of stupid to vote for somebody who, you know is not going to win, and do the job, hence the reason for your loyalty. Comprende?

Answer 7

Doctor Tetrahydrocannabinol, good question, for a change. After watching the last six years, I would put a chink in my own integrity and choose the next best fit to my beliefs. I will however vote for Ron Paul if he gets the nod from the GOP (fat chance). I'm personally not to enthused about Senator Clinton but even less enthused by the republican choices. I will not vote for anyone who says they will continue in Iraq or continue to erode my civil liberties or civil rights. Personally I would love to see a Gravel/Paul ticket or Paul/Gravel. If that happened I would vote for that ticket regardless of the outcome.

Answer 8

I will and always have voted for the person who I want elected. I will not compromise my vote by picking someone who I don't believe would make a good president just because he may win. This wasting your vote nonsense is just that nonsense. In my opinion voting for someone you don't believe in is truly wasting your vote.

Let me add do you believe everyone who voted for Dole wasted there vote? He had absolutely no chance to beat Clinton yet people voted for him. How about those that voted for Mondale over Reagan or any other landslide loser? Should everyone just vote for the person who is going to win?

Alright they may not have been in single digits but that still doesn't mean they had a chance. I have never voted for a republican or a democrat in presidential elections. I can not stand George Bush but I wasn't going to vote for Kerry because I didn't feel he would make a good president. I just think you are compromising what you believe in by picking someone you do not support.

Answer 9

I will move to the candidate that closely reflects my views. I refuse to waste a vote like that thereby insuring that the worst of all candidates wins the election. It's happened before, and it will happen again.

Like it or not, a third party candidate will not win until these people learn to start at the grass roots and not during a presidential election.

Answer 10

The most important thing is to exercise your right to vote. The next most important thing is to make that vote count!
If you vote your gut instinct, and your candidate has no chance of winning, in essense you have wasted your vote.
Common sense then must prevail!