NOBODY should be pressured into voting the lesser evil! VOTE your conscious. Vote Third Party!

originally posted by: Thoren

To say voting for a third party candidate is a waste of a vote is a self fullfilling prophecy. As long as that state of mind is maintained they will remain unseen and unheard.

And a long as that remains the case, so will the masses of Americans who do not want to continue to elect people who are less virtuous than the populations they seek dominion over.

a reply to: Gothmog

originally posted by: Gothmog
In this country, a vote for a 3rd Party candidate is a waste of a vote. What does it prove? Do you feel good about yourself?

The truth can be very painful to hear. Glad you got that up on the front page.

And ... FWIW

Again, Obama already said a vote for anyone else is a vote for Trump

is not what I believe at all. A vote for a 3d party candidate is a vote for Hillary ... and the New World Order.

And... yes ... there are some folks wearing a (D) after their name who are getting my vote on election day. I don't just do 'straight party'. Hell, for that matter, I recognize Donald Trump as a Democrat. If Paul Ryan doesn't like him ... he's alright with me.

Trump ... Landslide ... Expect It!!

a reply to: Snarl

Hell, for that matter, I recognize Donald Trump as a Democrat

Ex- Democrat like me....

Do you seriously want to vote for this? He's defending a criminal. He's in the tank probably bought and paid for by the Clinton campaign.

a reply to: TheBulk

He's not the only third party candidate thankfully.

!@$%!#& A!! S&F

If you want to call yourself American and have it mean something more than akin to a bad infomercial, vote like the romanticized version we sell abroad. We're supposed to embrace democracy & the freedom to choose who represents us, and yet, no one wants to actually practice it. Lazy. Just lazy.

You are not limited unless you make yourself limited via strict party affiliation. I shoehorn easiest into the Libertarian party (but it doesn't mean I agree with all points of the platform!) That does NOT MEAN I am required to vote for every Libertarian under the damn sun. I've given the list of people up for election in my state a good look. I've got a good mix of Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and even a Greenie on my "I can agree with and vote for them" list. And for this, I'm called weird? The straight party affiliation mindset is ruining the US. You should never feel pressured or obligated to stick to one party only when voting just because. Use your brain, ignore party affiliations before merits, research who you're voting for. THEN vote.

If more people could only be bothered to do so, we wouldn't be a bad infomercial.

One would hope that you are conscious. If not, perhaps your vote should rank right up there with all the dead people voting. Your conscience, however, may get you to vote differently than the mainstream. You are all smart enough to know what your vote can and cannot do. Is anyone here incapable of doing the math?

In the election that gave us Bush 2 against Gore, a lot of people voted their conscience and voted for that great candidate Ralph Nader. In fact, Nader was so popular with voters of conscience that he got more votes than the difference in votes between Bush and Gore, which was a whopping 543 (or 547) compared to Nader's 97,421. Now although there are apologists still out there who would have you believe voting for Nader did not let Bush win and that there were 'other factors' at play, most Democrats at the time had no problem blaming Nader for sucking votes away from Gore. They continue to think "people of conscience" gave the election to Bush. After all, Nader was "greener" than Gore who was "greener" than Bush.

So sometimes when you vote your conscience the result has to also be on your conscience.

I voted for "None of the Above" and that includes all the third parties as well, from the Greens to the Socialist Workers Party. As far as I'm concerned I don't want ANY of them to be President and giving some third party my vote by protest when, if they were actually contenders, I wouldn't vote for them, doesn't make any sense and certainly is not a vote of conscience. No matter what happens life is going to get worse. I'll just have to live with that, but hopefully not for long.

a reply to: Southern Guardian

I would only encourage a friend to vote Hillary if they lived in a swing state. I live in a solid blue state so I've been trying to convince everybody here to vote for Dr. Stein.

Honestly... if I lived in a swing state, I think "voting my conscious" would unfortunately mean voting for Hillary.

originally posted by: LifeMode
Again, Obama already said a vote for anyone else is a vote for Trump. He basically is calling anyone else Trump.

Shut up Barry!

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
I've seen a lot of negativity lately surrounding any support given to one of the third party candidates, whether it be Evan McMullin or Gary Johnson or Jill Stein. Firstly I'm absolutely appalled that people have the nerve to criticize those who choose not to commit themselves to a major party candidate. I've even seen it here on ATS among some members. What on earth is going on? Since when did we get so desperate to compromise for the less evil? Even here on ATS??

WHY must somebody compromise their beliefs because YOU believe your candidate is the less evil??

I've been looking up Evan McMullin since Johnson has proven himself to be an absolute buffoon this time around and the common argument I'm coming across is "oh he's a romney plant, he gives Hillary too much of an advantage". Even on MSNBC's Meet the Press Evan got heat from one of the panelists saying he has no chance at the presidency so he shouldn't bother, he's just causing trouble. So what? So we should vote for Trump? That nutcase? Or Hillary??? The establishment golden girl??? You have got to be kidding me.

Even Jill Stein is getting slack from some Hillary supporters saying having her run is too risky, she may help Trump in winning. She's running on principal and people are voting based on principal.

We need to stop demonizing others for voting their conscious, voting their beliefs, voting against the two party system. Yes the odds are against the third party candidates, but I'll give far more respect to somebody who chooses to vote their principals and beliefs than somebody who compromises for one of the two major candidates. We need start thinking this way again and celebrate this new and growing movement away from the D's and the R's. Vote for who you feel is RIGHT. Don't compromise.

BOTH Trump and Hillary have gone so far off the core beliefs of both left and right. People are sick of it, people are desperate for a real candidate that represents them.

I agree. I despise both major party candidates. They both are immoral and corrupt choices for different reasons. I only like stein. Neither major party is entitled to my vote. My liberal friends keep demanding that I vote for Clinton to keep out trump. Well the dnc and dems shouldn't have manipulated the process to put a corrupt neocon as my democrat choice.

Voting third party is wasting your vote you might as well not vote at all. a reply to: Southern Guardian

originally posted by: rumor21
Voting third party is wasting your vote you might as well not vote at all. a reply to: Southern Guardian

A wasted vote is one not cast at all, those belong to most of the Online Peanut Gallery on Election Day. However, that's their prerogative. They want to sit on their ass and not contribute to the counts, so be it.
Pressuring others to vote for candidates who they loathe and despise is coercion. Is that what we effing want American politics to become? I don't think so, you vote for who you agree with, I'll vote for who I agree with. If other people want to sit on their duffs and claim the right to complain, they're dense & annoying but it's their choice. End of discussion.

TL;DR -- nobody is entitled to tell another how to or who to vote for. Don't even.

originally posted by: rumor21
Voting third party is wasting your vote you might as well not vote at all. a reply to: Southern Guardian

I would say the opposite is true, anyone who votes establishment is wasting their vote on the premise of thinking it will change something. When in fact it will only result in more of the same. It's like pissing into the wind and then wondering why your feet are getting wet.

a reply to: Southern Guardian

FWIW I agree with your stance. People are too often peer pressured into participating in this busted system and thus perpetuating it. It's a lie from way back in the 19th Century that only two parties validate votes. 'A third party vote is a wasted vote,' is a hustle.

Would we even be stuck with the two party system (as it is) if more people looked at other options? Maybe the major parties would be less arrogant and try a little harder to deserve our votes instead of expecting them?