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Third-Party Candidates: Worth Your Vote?

Would you vote for a third-party candidate, regardless of their chance at winning?

  • I hardly even consider voting for a third-party candidate

    Votes: 5 16.7%
  • I don't usually vote third-party, but would consider it

    Votes: 6 20.0%
  • I usually vote third-party, but would consider voting otherwise

    Votes: 5 16.7%
  • I almost always vote for third-party candidates

    Votes: 4 13.3%
  • other

    Votes: 10 33.3%

  • Total voters
    30

Dav

DP Veteran
Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
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Location
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Political Leaning
Libertarian - Right
Simple question: Which is more important,
voting for the person who you would rather win of those who have a chance at winning,
or voting for someone who most closely embodies your personal beliefs, whether they have a chance of winning or not?
 
I try and be practical. A republican or democrat is almost certainly going to win, so might as well vote for the one who will do what I think will be the best job. Besides, none of the third parties reflect my beliefs any better than my chosen democratic party, and almost all worse.
 
I'd vote for a third party if there were any third parties in this country that stood for what I believe in.
 
Simple question: Which is more important,
voting for the person who you would rather win of those who have a chance at winning,
or voting for someone who most closely embodies your personal beliefs, whether they have a chance of winning or not?

I won't vote for institutionalized corruption.

That is what Democrats and Republicans represent.

So what if one of the major candidates win, they are still looking out for themselves and their party first.
 
Anyone who shares your beliefs is worth your vote.
 
Anyone who shares your beliefs is worth your vote.
In your country from an ethical stance yes, from a political stance no:)

In my country the Liberal Democrats, the third party for many elections were very useful for tactical voting.
 
I try and be practical. A republican or democrat is almost certainly going to win, so might as well vote for the one who will do what I think will be the best job. Besides, none of the third parties reflect my beliefs any better than my chosen democratic party, and almost all worse.

Your vote is just as statistically insignifigant as a third party vote.
 
In your country from an ethical stance yes, from a political stance no:)

In my country the Liberal Democrats, the third party for many elections were very useful for tactical voting.

The wasted vote thing is a myth. Your vote means the same regardless of how it is cast. You need to vote to make your soul feel good.
 
The wasted vote thing is a myth. Your vote means the same regardless of how it is cast. You need to vote to make your soul feel good.
The return of candidates like Ms Cicciolina would make more than my soul feel good,Porn to be WildI think I read Jenna J has found Jesus, any chance she will find politics?
 
Voting for a 3rd party candidate who you know can't win isn't "throwing away your vote."

Voting for the lesser of 2 evils because you know one of them will win isn't "throwing away your vote."

Voting for the opposite party so that one party won't dominate the whole show isn't "throwing away your vote."

I think the only way you can truly "throw away your vote" is to choose not to vote in the first place.
 
Well you don't specify the US so I voted. I generally vote forthird party candidates, in England I'd specifically vote for the Wessex regionalists or the Greens and perhaps UKIP. But I wouldn't completely rule out the Tories.
 
Well you don't specify the US so I voted. I generally vote forthird party candidates, in England I'd specifically vote for the Wessex regionalists or the Greens and perhaps UKIP. But I wouldn't completely rule out the Tories.

Here election laws and the presidential debates are tailored to keep everyone else out.

America does not have open and honest elections.
 
Here election laws and the presidential debates are tailored to keep everyone else out.

America does not have open and honest elections.

In England it is much the same at national level there are three main parties and only tow of those have formed gov't for almost a century.

A proof of the moribund nature of our parliamentary system has to be the EU. Most Brits aren't happy with the way it has been going and haven't been for a long time but none of the three main parties will do anything about it.
 
Simple question: Which is more important,
voting for the person who you would rather win of those who have a chance at winning,
or voting for someone who most closely embodies your personal beliefs, whether they have a chance of winning or not?

I would have to say the candidate regardless of party affiliation you feel is the best man or best woman for the job is worth your vote. I saw many people however vote for a sellout like McCain because they felt he had a better chance of winning and that a liberal republican was much better than a liberal democrat. As far as I am concerned a liberal rat is still a liberal rat regardless of which party he claims to belong to.
 
I would consider voting for a third party if and only if they have a chance of winning (or if the election is going to be so lopsided that my vote doesn't matter anyway). But in a reasonably close election between the two major party candidates, there's no way I'm voting for someone else.

"Sending a message" is simply nowhere NEAR as important as electing the candidate that more closely mirrors your views. "Sending a message" rarely produces the desired result, whereas electing the better candidate often does.
 
"voting for someone who most closely embodies your personal beliefs, whether they have a chance of winning or not"

The above is most important. Whether or not someone can win an election is never a factor in my decision to vote for them. I vote for who I want in office, I vote my conscience. I would never in a million years squander my vote for some second rate choice simply because s/he has a better chance at winning. I have far too much respect for my vote and for all the men and women who have died to make sure I continue to have one. I would never tarnish their efforts by selling myself out for "someone who has a better chance of winning".
 
I would vote for a candidate I could support, but since none of those ever runs in any election, I vote for the major candidate that I could stomach the best. Since candidates that would represent my views simply do not run these days, I never worry about the third parties because they've got no chance in hell. As much as you can vote your conscience all you want, you still have to live under the administration of the party that wins.
 
I will only vote for a third party if neither of the two party candidates at least holds a decent majority of the same views as I do that I trust they will uphold and there is a 3rd party member that matches my views almost uniformly
 
Be realistic about your vote. If your vote for third party candidate means the Democrat gets into office, when you could have voted for the Republican and stopped that horrendous occurence, you've wasted your vote.

Most of the time your vote doesn't mean squat. Look at Minnesota. No one's vote means anything, since Franken is going to get into the Senate using made up votes.
 
Be realistic about your vote. If your vote for third party candidate means the Democrat gets into office, when you could have voted for the Republican and stopped that horrendous occurence, you've wasted your vote.


Your not stopping any horrendous thing from happening by throwing your vote away on a sell out liberal republican. Ooh he is 2-5% better than Obama big deal. By voting for sell outs like McCain, Gulliani, Romney and other sellouts pretending to be patriotic conservatives you are encouraging the republican party to further degenerate. Why would the republicans ever prop up another viable conservative if you keep voting for liberals,you'll bash libs all day and then turn around and vote for one just because he has a "R" next to his name. A republican liberal rat is still just as much of a liberal rat as a democrat liberal. Both parties are taking us to hell in hand basket, one is just taking us there a little bit slower.
 
I would never consider a third-party candidate for President, though I thoroughly encourage Green Party and other Leftist candidates.
I would never vote for a Lib, Democrat... same thing.
I would consider not voting for a Republican.

Same goes for Senators and Congressman.

After that, I'll vote for someone that is Conservative, regardless of party.
Libertarian would be attractive.

.
 
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Your not stopping any horrendous thing from happening by throwing your vote away on a sell out liberal republican.

Oh, I didn't mean vote for a liberal Republican. There are the few that still believe in the Republic, you know. There's no difference between a liberal Republican and a Democrat, they're both socialist traitors intent on the destruction of the Repubic.

Ooh he is 2-5% better than Obama big deal. By voting for sell outs like McCain, Gulliani, Romney and other sellouts pretending to be patriotic conservatives you are encouraging the republican party to further degenerate.

Can't help that. I'm all for doing two complete radical mastectomies to get rid of the tumors caused by both halfs of The Big Party. Since that ain't gonna happen, I figure that when push comes to shove it's necessary to get rid of the biggest titheads, and in this case that was Obama and the Democrats.

Why would the republicans ever prop up another viable conservative if you keep voting for liberals,you'll bash libs all day and then turn around and vote for one just because he has a "R" next to his name.

That's better, vent it all out. It doesn't have to make any sense, so long as you feel better when it's over. Remember, there's tissues in a box on the table at the end of the couch.

I voted to prevent the worst threat to the Republic ever seen in history from taking over the Oval Office.

When you grow up you'll learn that sometimes it's necessary to hold your nose to do what must be done at the time, especially when all options lead to some harm somewhere.

A republican liberal rat is still just as much of a liberal rat as a democrat liberal. Both parties are taking us to hell in hand basket, one is just taking us there a little bit slower.

So you're saying that The Messiah and McCain were 100.0000% equal?

What did you accomplish with your vote? Did anyone pay you any attention?
 
Simple question: Which is more important,
voting for the person who you would rather win of those who have a chance at winning,
or voting for someone who most closely embodies your personal beliefs, whether they have a chance of winning or not?

I would be on-board with the Libertarian party if they would drop a couple of their liberal views, such as 100% immediate withdrawal from the ME, and legalized: prostitution, hard drugs (such as meth), and similar.

I would even trade them the gay-marriage card for the school vouchers card.
 
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