The 2016 American presidential election certainly seems unprecedented. The Democratic nominee has faced charges of negligence, falsifying accounts and general corruption from both the federal government and American public. Clinton remains, for many, a corrupt establishment politician pushing too lightly on social issues while riding too heavily on corporate dollars. Meanwhile, the Republican nominee stands guilty of blatantly lying in multiple political arenas, and garnering support through racist and xenophobic scare tactics. Donald Trump remains, for many, an inexperienced and corrosive candidate whose election promises a resurgence of American culture’s dark past.
Although this year’s election has questionably damaged the images of America’s two largest political parties, it is undoubtedly energizing third party platforms. Even loyal party members find themselves looking for alternatives as they face voting for “the lesser of two evils.” As a result, research into third party candidates Jill Stein and Gary Johnson has surged in recent months. However, “wasting your vote” rhetoric accompanies this growth at equally record proportions. Casting a vote outside the conventional two-party system is viewed as fruitless or even potentially harmful. The benefits of third party voting, however, are far from nonexistent.
Voting third party helps increase the viability of platforms outside the current binary. Third party platforms in certain regions are eligible to receive federal funding based on levels of voter support. This monetary backing, given time and continued promotion, could allow third-party platforms to compete in the money-saturated environment of American politics. The development of these alternative voting prospects would provide better opportunities to support candidates outside the “lesser of two evils” framework. Although the 2016 election embodies such an unsatisfactory structure, it may likewise be a large step in preventing its recurrence.
Voting third party also sends a message to existing political parties. It allows Democrat and Republican Party leaders to understand where their voter base stands. Rather than fighting for change internally, abandonment sends a stark message that change is required to retain their voter loyalty. Political parties can and have faded into obscurity and total elimination. This, albeit rare, reality forces both Republicans and Democrats to shift their policies to remain relevant. A surge in third party voting among party-loyal voters can provoke this shift.
However, despite this realization, I am unlikely to vote third party. Despite being an Illinois native where my vote is unlikely to sway the state’s strong Democratic swing. Despite being less than thrilled about a Hillary Clinton presidency. Although I recognize the hypocrisy, I am likely to cast my vote for Hillary Clinton.
I absolutely agree that voting third party is not a waste of a vote. However, for myself, I am afraid that a third party vote could be an irresponsible one. I am anxious casting a vote outside the traditionally viable parties because of issues most important to me and their place in this particular year’s GOP platform.
The published goals of the GOP and its nominee Donald Trump are uncharacteristically direct and extreme. While their blatant homophobia concerns me personally, I also worry over the dangerous racism and xenophobia that has continually laced Trump’s rise in political success. This year, we have seen such dangerous ideologies aid an unqualified and arguably unprincipled man in receiving the Republican presidential nomination. Now these same ideas present an eerie possibility of winning the presidency. This reality makes it difficult for me to perceive this election as between “two evils.”
A Clinton presidency may represent a four year threat to everyday Americans of an establishment politician intertwined with corruption and money-politics. A Trump presidency, meanwhile, represents a four year threat to average Americas through his inexperience and stubborn bravado. However, he simultaneously threatens with specific intent the rights, safety, and dignity of multiple minority groups across the country. A GOP victory promises to root these unprecedented threats through the placement of Supreme Court Justices which will shape our nation for decades. Clinton remains guilty of corruption for many in America, and without any change in her policy, she requires growth in minority issues. However, the nature of the Trump campaign’s marked success makes him a far more dangerous presidential candidate. Not only in his political inexperience which threatens American stability, but also due to the GOP’s homophobia, racism, and xenophobia which threatens minorities across the spectrum.
As a gay man, the 2016 Trump campaign and Republican GOP frighten me. As a friend of those most threatened by their politics and policies, I am afraid. This year’s election has taught me many things. One of them has been the brokenness of our electoral system which pressures voting based in fear rather than good conscious due to nonviable third party platforms. I pray that we may work to alter that reality. Without a change in this viability, however, I do not know that this election is the platform from which that progress ought to originate. In my own life, I feel there may be too much at stake for my fellow Americans.
