A myth currently being perpetuated by the mainstream media is that voting a third party supports Trump or Clinton. The Clinton supporters say you’re throwing away your vote. They will falsely tell you that a third party vote is a vote for Trump. The Trump supporters say more of the same. Past elections illustrate how unlikely their statements are, but that does not stop them from saying it. The most cited example of this phenomenon from detractors is Ralph Nader. The question remains did Ralph Nader cause George Bush to win the election? The numbers show that Democrats pushed George Bush into office, not Ralph Nader. They also question why people vote for third parties and claim it to be a wasted vote. Again, the evidence says different. Third party voting will make America great again.
Before I can jump into the benefits of third parties, I must address these misguided concerns by the donkey and the elephant by exploring the election of 2000. Those that lived during the election may remember how close the vote was. Disgruntled Gore supporters and Democratic establishment supporters are adamant that misguided third party voters gave us years of George Bush. However, some numbers are never brought up to support their theory. How many Democrats did not vote? How close was the vote? How many Democrats voted Bush? Those numbers bring a different perspective. Another important factor that does not support them is the state of Florida.
Let’s start with the number of registered Democrat voters in Florida during the 2000 election. Florida had about 3,800,000 registered Democrats compared to 3,400,000 registered Republicans (numbers provided by Division of Elections in Florida). The "other," or independent, category had about 1,500,000 registered voters. George Bush only beat Al Gore by 543 votes. According to Census Bureau data from 2000, Florida had a population of around 16 million people. The registered voters comprise about half of Florida’s population, but around 2 million registered voters did not vote that year. Obviously, a portion of those registered voters were Democrat. About 12 percent of Democrats voted George Bush over Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader in total only got 97,488 votes or 1.63% in Florida. Somehow, Ralph Nader is at fault for Al Gore not getting a measly 543 votes from his political party.
I have not even discussed the voter fraud from that year and the thrown out ballots that were comprised mostly of African American votes. The miscounting and recounting that year would require a whole different article.However, that small tidbit furthers the point that Democrats or the system put Bush in office. Ralph Nader had nothing to do with the ballot problems.
This is exactly what Hillary Clinton is doing now in case she loses. She is pinning the blame on Gary Johnson, Bernie Sanders (who is not in the race), Jill Stein, and the "deplorables." Trump is blaming the social justice warriors and women. These major party candidates want the third parties to acquiesce to them. They use them as a scapegoat, but a good ole country phrase sums this up nicely—you point a finger; three fingers point back at you. The fact remains that it will be Clinton’s fault if she loses. She did not court the progressives that wanted to support liberal policies. If Trump loses, he is at fault for not courting conservatives and libertarians.
Still, that does not explain why someone should vote for a third party. It would be easy to list the flaws of Clinton or Trump, but that would require a whole article for each candidate. Instead, the numbers show that voting a third party now will make it more viable for the next election cycle. Actual change takes decades. A voter cannot change the system overnight. Voters have to be willing to prepare for the long haul. Last election cycle, Gary Johnson had 0.99% of the popular vote and was not on the ballot in all 50 states. Jill Stein had 0.36% of the vote.
As it currently stands, Gary Johnson this year has 7-12% of the vote compared to the almost 1% he had in 2012(according to USElectionAtlas). In addition, Gary Johnson is on every ballot. Meanwhile, Jill Stein has about 2-5% of the vote compared to the 0.36% in 2012. These numbers are rising beyond what anyone expected. Also, we see more Gary Johnson and Jill Stein on TV this election cycle. This trajectory will keep going as long as we keep voting third party. There is no perfect candidate, but choice is a personal freedom that belongs to us. Do not let the mainstream media paint a false narrative. They will tell you that voting your conscience will put Trump or Clinton in office. The numbers prove them wrong. The numbers also prove that a third party vote is not a wasted vote.
The Republican and Democratic parties are in a splintered state due to socialists, progressives, libertarians, and the tea party. None of those parties are perfect, but we need more voices. We need new ideas. If you want real change, third parties are the only choice. The scariest part is that the USDebtClock currently has us at 19 trillion dollars in debt. Our federal spending has passed a hundred percent. It does not take an economist to realize those numbers are horrific. A corrupt system is killing people. The media and corporate donors control Congress and will control the next president if it is Clinton or Trump. The truth is America has problems.
If you want the status quo to continue, follow the herd of sheep. That is exactly what the elephant and the donkey want you to do. The main parties are stripping us of personal freedom, and we’re doing nothing to stop it. I suggest you vote third party and stand your ground against the corrupt system. That is the only real way to achieve change. Vote Libertarian, Green Party, or even Constitution Party. Just remember you have a voice. Do not let the elephant or donkey intimidate you into voting for them. Do not vote out of fear. This nation will continue to get progressively worse whether we have Hillary or Trump as president. A third party vote might be the only vote for personal freedom.