Not true. You can almost always cast a write-in vote.

 

Fair enough.

I remember vividly being told in high school when I expressed my interest in voting for a third party candidate rather than one of the "big two" that I would be throwing my vote away. The teacher's attitude was borderline hostile towards me in that moment because I dared to think outside the norm. I told her that she was absolutely right to the extent that my candidate would not win because so many others were conditioned to think exactly as she was... But I wouldn't vote for someone I didn't believe in just because I disliked them a little less than the other candidate. I still feel that way today.

 

Slightly off topic but still relevant, but I've harped about the Electoral College ad nauseam in the past and my reasons for thinking that other avenues should be pursued in order to choose the President. I did not vote in the 2012 election. I knew beforehand that Kentucky would not decide this election. Everyone knew that Kentucky was going to Romney, and neither party cared. Obama did not try to sway us. And what happened? Romney won Kentucky, but lost the election as most everyone predicted. So what would've changed if I'd voted? If I'd voted for Obama, I'd know I voted for the winner of the election but knowing he didn't even win the state I lived in would be less than satisfactory.

 

I don't know if a straight popular vote is the answer, as it'd be so easily swayed by the more heavily populated areas... But there's got to be a better way to make the election matter in all countries rather than just a few. It'll just take a smarter person than me to figure out what that is.

I don't believe you ever throw your vote away if you vote.

 

When you don't vote at all, you threw your vote away.

I don't believe you ever throw your vote away if you vote.

 

When you don't vote at all, you threw your vote away.

 

I'll concede your point there with no argument. I didn't like any of the candidates and knew the outcome ahead of time. I didn't see a purpose in 2012. But you're not wrong at all.

3rd party candidates for President over the last 20+ years have only taken votes away from the party they are most closely allied with. Perot took more votes from Bush that from Clinton and Nader took almost all of is votes from those that would normally vote democrat.

 

By marginalizing third parties the media/press/entertainers are an unwitting/or knowing accomplices. If GOP want to win they need a third party ultra left candidate to run and the same for the DNC they need and ultra right candidate to pull votes from the GOP.

Electoral College assures that huge voter turnouts in 10 or 12 states don't render the rest of the country meaningless in Presidential Politics.

 

While not a perfect system, I do marginally like it better than straight up popular vote for a national election.

3rd party candidates for President over the last 20+ years have only taken votes away from the party they are most closely allied with. Perot took more votes from Bush that from Clinton and Nader took almost all of is votes from those that would normally vote democrat.

 

By marginalizing third parties the media/press/entertainers are an unwitting/or knowing accomplices. If GOP want to win they need a third party ultra left candidate to run and the same for the DNC they need and ultra right candidate to pull votes from the GOP.

 

JD ... did you see Joe Biden's comments about the Republican Party? He said there is no "Republican Party" because there are two factions now in the party. Therefore, who is today's Republican Party is what Biden asked. I know a big part of that is political rhetoric but still interesting comments.

JD ... did you see Joe Biden's comments about the Republican Party? He said there is no "Republican Party" because there are two factions now in the party. Therefore, who is today's Republican Party is what Biden asked. I know a big part of that is political rhetoric but still interesting comments.

 

I didn't see it but in a way he is actually right.

I didn't see it but in a way he is actually right.

 

I agree. I hadn't thought about it in exactly those terms. Biden said that hurts the Republicans in general elections because they are becoming fragmented whereas voters know, like or not, what the Democrats stand for.

 

If you think about it, some of the Democrats elected in races in the past few elections probably won because a Tea Party candidate beat out a stronger general election Republican in a primary.