I've been debating to myself whether or not voting for a third party candidate (Either PSL's de la Cruz or Green's West, regardless of my criticisms for both) would be the most "effective" use of my time in election season this year. The argument for "not" is that maybe voting at all is bad because it legitimizes this system, even if a third party candidate getting a record turnout would grab more attention (and piss off Blue MAGA cultists) than simply not going since it's not like abysmal turnouts, even by this country's historical standards, are newsworthy at this point. So I guess I have to ask how you people rationalize voting or not this year?
I fully understand that this is more symbolic than anything else and won't materially affect change for a while but it's still something to think about.
I'm voting PSL in a swing state. I have a bunch of friends in safe dem states and when they get mad at me for this I ask them why they're voting for the dems there if it doesn't even matter, are they just in it for the love of the game (genocide)?
A bunch of them have offered to do the vote swap thing with me but I'm thinking not. To the extent electoral politics matters and voting is a feedback loop on politicians (very limited), biden won't be rewarded with my vote.
They were never going to follow through with it anyway. "vote swappers" never do.
lol im picturing dem party operatives arranging vote swaps w multiple third party supporters, trading their one vote for thousands, and then still voting dem
i was googling vote swapping and apparently the hillary ppl kind of did that
The message is simple: “Friends don’t let friends protest-vote in swing states.”
as always the only acceptable protests are the ones without any possible effect
(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)
lmao wtf? did the Seattle times just copy & paste a press release straight from the company?
the term "protest vote" makes me want to punch someone. Fuck you. This candidate represents my interests and yours doesn't. I vote for the candidate that advances my agenda. This is how liberal democracy is "supposed" to work. Run a better platform or eat shit. I owe you nothing
That's seems unfalsifiable, I've got no reason to think my vote swapping experiences didn't work out.
No reason to think they would work out either. Would a liberal truly get to the ballot box and actually fill in the communist party candidate's bubble instead of just voting the blue no matter who that's truly in their heart? Is the option to vote for your candidate even really on their ballot? Would it even matter if they wrote the candidate in?
Write-in candidates have to register to even be a write in candidate in many states and most don't do so. In 2020, Gloria LaRiva's PSL ticket was only even on the ballot or a write-in in a grand total of 32 states+DC, putting them 75 electors short of the 270 to win even if they took every single elector in every single state for which they had ballot access.
If you're in a state where you can't even vote for the candidate you want, sure try the swap. But don't put too much faith in liberals following through on promises, they're about as bad at is as their politicians.
Honestly if they're white libs, I expect them to be lying shitheaps een on shit that doesn't matter; no way in hell would I trust them with smth that actually does
Obviously if it's someone you met on Twitter with "#withHerforever" in their bio, then yeah, no reason at all to trust that they'll follow through.
But if you know someone in real life and trust them, and they have a basic understanding of the electoral colleges functionality (some not a democratic presidential campaign manager), they'd have to have some pretty massive brainworms to break that trust for absolutely no effect.
I vote swapped in 2016, I'm confident they followed through cause I trust who I did it with.
I remember a Redditor getting really upset with me for not voting for Biden last cycle despite not being in a swing state, because Trump might rig the elections and it would be harder to do that somehow if people voted.
I guess if 2000 wasn't close in FL bush couldnt have done what he did? but also who fucking cares
Yeah if I lived in one of the 5-6 swing states they might have some kind of argument but I don't.
Just say to them, if you really don't want trump to win you should move to a swing state, otherwise you're basically voting for trump
There is a very funny aspect of how much they fetishize swing state votes but would absolutely fucking never want to live in one of those states lmao. But still they want to control how the people who do live in those states vote!
Tell them "a dem vote in a safely blue state is a bigger waste than 3rd party. If a 3rd party gets over 5% of the popular vote nationally, they start to get access to public campaign funds. At least your vote might accomplish something."
I personally don't know if 3rd party votes do much, but as long as we're debating "wasted votes," dem in a safe blue state is the ultimate waste.
Put the name on the ballot and drop it into the box slowly and nobody gets yaaas kweened
I'm writing in Bernie because it will make everyone left right and center of me mad.
Voted PSL in 2020. Will probably do so again, but might consider someone like Dr. Cornel West if they have significant momentum and aren't cringeposting the whole election. Downballot it's all write-ins for dead revolutionaries. I sure as hell am not casting a vote for Gottheimer.
Beyond shit like keeping Moms for Liberty out of the school board, this shit is pointless. Pretty much all I'm doing is punching one in for the ghost of Ho Chi Mihn out of spite.
Delighted to learn I'm not alone in writing in dead revolutionaries!
I vote third party because it best represents my beliefs. Usually Green or whatever crank leftist party makes it on the ballot. Being in a closed primary state takes most of the fun out of election season anyway
i hope they both die (of old age, calm down
)or refuse to vote at all
if you're in this camp there might be a city council or school board election you should actually vote in.
People talk about local elections a lot but 99% of the time it's like a race populated with five different real estate professionals
i'll take the one who isn't a creationist over the ones who are for the school board. that's a case where flavors of liberal actually do matter.
99% sounds like a wild overstatement too. around here more often it's some unopposed county position.
I'm not paid enough to become a local politico on top of actually working
I'm voting for both candidates
. I even have my fake ID ready. My commitment to voting is stronger than any liberal could dream.Voting for my dog. If he wins, he won't commit genocide because he's a dog. That's the best option.
You'd think that but Milei is trying to speedrun Argentine fascism with his dead dog's spirit influencing him so....
Now granted my dog repeatedly threatens nuclear war, but that's against NATO and is purely defensive.
I have high hopes. His own polls show him winning 120% of the vote and all of the other candidates being thrown out of windows.
If only the presidential election were on the ballot I would care a lot less. But my state and local elections are actually pretty important to me.
In 2020 I voted for La Riva (PSL) for president.
i've been voting third party in the general presidential slot since obozo's 2nd term run. it's hilarious. i mean, i'm already there making selections for school board seats, city council peeps, family court judges and heads of various state agencies-type shit anyway so the marginal cost of my time and effort of participation in the general prez b.s. is negligible. looking into the other races and their candidates is a far bigger hassle, even with the relatively efficient process i've cobbled together over the years.
what i like to imagine is the blue maga crowd looking at the PSL+green numbers on the day of tabulation and being incensed at all us cranks and assholes for going through all the hullabaloo and pageantry only to spike the ball and rip a wet fart on their latest disappointing savior. the humor only increases when the red vs blue horse race is tight. the nerve of wasting a vote on somebody under 100 that isn't a genocidal sex predator! and if some bozo tries to say shit about it IRL, i just shrug and tell them i'll vote for a dem presidential candidate as soon as they stop nominating the biggest horses ass in the stable. it's a low bar, but if they don't clear it they aren't trying.
I should do a mail in ballot with PSL and the local elections that matter but I won't.
Kinda wish the PSL put in more time and effort in local level election organizing than promoting their presidential ticket.
yeah go get some of those unopposed county positions and shit so people are used to seeing your party on the ballot and then eat the democrats' lunch in the state elections they pay no attention to and all but gave up against republicans for 50 years.
We see elections primarily as a vehicle for driving our other organizing work and building more party members and non-member allies. The presidential election is the biggest platform by far to do that. We do run in local elections occasionally, but it's still with the same motivation as above. We don't see holding a single city council seat as doing much to win power.
Now, I do think after this year, we'll be in a much stronger position to seriously contest many more local elections and would expect to see PSL candidates, especially in small progressive cities, winning seats more frequently.
