How do you vote for presidential candidate when ou no longer want to vote for "the lesser of two evils"?

Question

It is not my desire to hurt anyone, only to give extra food for thought. Is it not possible that we are being herded like sheep to an inevitable end? Have we come to believe the lies of politicians because we have no will to do our own thinking from not knowing how to think for ourselves or do we just not want to deal with it?

Answer 1

When you get into the voting booth, your choices are the candidates that are on the ballot. The opportunity to get different choices occurs during the time between elections.

If you do not like the two main parties, you need to work to make sure the minor party that you do like can get on the ballot in your state. You also need to help that party find good candidates who can get votes at the local level. It is rare for any political party to start off competitive at the national level, but you can get a representative or two in your state legislature or in your county government (both of which actually have more power over your daily life than the federal government).

If you like one of the main parties but would prefer one of the candidates that is currently trailing, you need to make sure to participate in the primary or caucus in your state. You also need to do what you can to help your preferred candidate (either through volunteering, talking to neighbors, or making a contribution) do well in your state.

One note about the current standings, neither the current polls nor current financial status is an absolute predictor of the final results. Voters in most of the states have not yet begun to focus on the primaries (and will not until this November or December). However, a candidate needs some resources to be able to communicate to the voters at that time. Candidates who are able to reach voters with an attractive message in November will see poll numbers move in their favor leading to attention from the major media outlets which will lead to better poll numbers etc.

Ultimately, individual voters have a choice -- is there so little difference between the main candidates (with all being unacceptably bad) to justify using your vote to send a message that a change is needed or is there enough of a difference between bad and worse (and there usually is) to justify voting for the lesser of two evils.

Answer 2

I say, know the issues and where the candidates stand, and vote your conscience, even if you're sure the candidate you vote for won't win.

The problem is that third-party candidates are seen as just taking votes from one of the major two parties.

Republicans are bitter about 1992, because they think Bush would have won for sure, if Perot hadn't run, and taken 19% or the conservative vote. Without Perot, Bush would have won.
Clinton won with 43% of the vote, not a majority.

Democrats are bitter about 2000 and 2004, because they perceive Ralph Nader's independent candidacy as handing the election to George W. Bush, by taking just enough votes from Gore to give Bush a victory.

But look at the case of Barry Goldwater in 1964. He took a stand for the issues he believed in, and though defeated, his principles (fiscal responsibility, small government, strong defense) were a torch picked up and carried by others in the Republican party, which culminated in Ronald Reagan's election in 1980, also winning the support of many "Reagan Democrats".

It took 16 years, but Goldwater's principled Republican conservativism, in its consistency won converts, and finally the White House.

So vote your conscience, who you think is the best man.
I voted Perot in 1992 and 1996. I voted Nader in 2000. And I regret voting Bush in 2004.
Even if your third-party candidate loses, if they get enough support, that gives them better opportunities and momentum in 4 years, if they remain ideologically consistent.
What's happened to Nader is his base has lost confidence, and resigned to the fact that if people vote for him, they'll just thin the Democrat turnout and get a Republican elected. And Republicans who are dissatisfied and would vote independent feel the same way.

But if I'm not happy with the Democrat or Republican, I will vote independent. If enough do that it will make a difference, over time.

Answer 3

First, know that there is no perfect system. When you think about all the awful dictators other countries select/elect/get forced upon them (think Amin, Hitler, Stalin, Sadaam, Putin, Kim Jong Il) ours seems to serve as good as any, especially for a country our size. Sometimes we get what we deserve. Sometimes we get what we don't deserve. (You can decide where we are right now for yourself.)

Second, I believe that one key is to get involved early in the process--like, right now. Read on:

I used to think that members of Congress sat around and decided whether they support a bill or not when it came up for a final vote. But, that is not at all what they do. They try to shape a bad bill into something a more palatable by participating in the committee markups, adding amendments and so forth, so that when it gets to final passage, even though they still oppose the bill overall, if it does pass, it's not as bad as it might have been. Any member of Congress who thinks that his/her job is to sit around the House or Senate chamber and vote on bills needs a new job description. Excuse me for going on about this. I'll get to the point now:

Any American who thinks their job as a citizen is to come out once a year on election day and vote on the candidates someone else put on the ballot needs a new job description.

If you get involved now and support a candidate, realize that your candidate might not survive this early vetting process. But, they will have shaped the process such that the final winner will have to accept some of their ideas. So, even though you may still have to choose the "lesser of two evils," as you put it, the greater of the two will at least have some of what your ideal candidate had.

This is why I am supporting Obama. There are those who say he won't win the nomination, and if that miracle happens, he won't win the general election due to his race and inexperience. I say, maybe so maybe not, but all of the candidates will have to listen to him and incorporate some of his ideas into their platform of ideas if they want to pick up his supporters.

You may completely disagree and that's okay. But, if you wait until November 2008 to finally decide, then you will be left with the candidates (and, more importantly, "candidacies") that others have shaped.

Get involved now. Choose someone to support. Follow through: right now, the "voting" is being done with our checkbooks: send them a check for as much as you can legally and reasonably afford. Don't wait until November. The game is NOT decided in the last 2 minutes in spite of what people think.

Answer 4

A great man once said "the apple on the table are safer than the apples an the tree." I agree with this statement. We should always strive to be good citizens and vote for the best candidate available. That is why every year I vote for Ralph Nader.

Answer 5

In the 04 election I voted against the eviler of 2 lessors... I think we'll have a real choice this time... Obama's already running for president (not playing the partisan liberal role), and Fred hasn't even announced yet. It's like only having a super bowl or world series once every 4 years... I'm so jacked about this election!

Answer 6

You either vote for the greater of two evils, or don't vote.

The system is rigged so that only two two dominant parties have any real chance of getting anyone elected. In fact it's the only thing both can agree on -- keeping the fight just between them and shutting everyone else out...

Answer 7

You don't.

And lets face facts... as long as people have their cars to drive, their music to listen to and 100 channels on cable/satellite TV, they don't really give a damn what anyone does anymore. I honestly think our forefathers would be disgusted and would want to have nothing to do with the stars and stripes if they could see what the people in this country have turned into.

Answer 8

The past two elections, I voted for the lesser of two evils. That was Bush. But I'm not doing it anymore. If the GOP won't run a real conservative (FRED!), I'm not going to reward their stupidity with my vote.

Answer 9

Simple. Vote for an independent or a third party candidate.

Answer 10

Start helping other party candidates. We must change the face of the capitol.
It is our country and our money that Washington is so freely using.