This week, former democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was interviewed on the CBS news segment "Face the Nation." When asked why millennials shouldn’t vote for a third-party candidate that aligns with their political views, Sanders stated this election is “not time for a protest vote.” A protest vote is a vote cast when a citizen wants to show his/her dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or the political system in general. He continued to explain that voters must look at which candidate will work best for the middle class, affordable education, and combating climate change - clearly pointing to democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, whom he endorsed in July. However, Sanders’ comments on discouraging third-party voting asserts hypocrisy and ultimately tells voters to go against their morals and beliefs when they hit the polls November 8th.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the point of a presidential election is for a member of the populace to vote for the candidate who aligns most with their ideas and viewpoints. This candidate should be the one whom they think will best lead the nation in the coming years. Now Mr. Sanders is telling citizens to ditch their opinions and morals to vote either republican or democrat and not cast a so called “protest vote.” With the mainstream candidates in this year’s election cycle, it’s easy to entertain the idea of voting for a third-party candidate. A recent Quinnipiac University poll finds that 44% of voters age 18-34 support third-party candidates, a statistic that will play a crucial role and sway the vote come Election Day. For the first time in recent years a third-party candidate is actually polling with relatively high numbers amongst voters. The candidate in question is former New Mexico governor and libertarian nominee Gary Johnson with running mate former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld. Johnson is polling higher than any third-party nominee in recent years, due in large part to citizens’ disapproval with the candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. These candidates differ from Johnson in that his views pull from both sides of the political aisle. Sanders’ interview this past week has now prompted FLOTUS Michelle Obama to address the same message at a Clinton/Kaine rally. Why is it that these established leaders preach for change in American politics but then go on to tell citizens that they are limited to the two-party system?
With Sanders now discouraging third-party voting, undecided millennials and the faithful “Bernie or Bust” group will now disregard Johnson and Green party candidate Jill Stein to focus their attention on the two mainstream candidates. Yet I find it rich that Sanders, a democratic socialist, was indeed a protest vote in the democratic primary race. The most prominent goal of the Sanders’ campaign was to create a political revolution in America for those fed-up with “politics as usual” in Washington. If Sanders was so determined to promote change in the way Americans vote and view politics, he shouldn’t have discouraged the way he rose to political stardom.
So when you are filling out your ballot this November, remember to vote for which candidate you feel best suits the needs of our nation, not just the lesser of two evils.
