The Case for Voting for Third Party Candidates

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“After 4 years, this is the best we could come up with?” my friend remarked as Donald Trump and Joe Biden received their parties' unofficial nominations for presidency. The sentiment is shared by a quarter of Americans who are unhappy with both Trump and Biden. Despite over 60% of Americans having unfavorable views of either candidate, Trump and Biden will almost certainly be on the ballot for the Republican and Democratic party. However, Trump and Biden are not the only ones on the ballot. Numerous third party candidates have announced their campaigns including Robert Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, Jill Stein, and Liz Cheney. There is a case for voting third party in the presidential elections -- even if the candidate is not elected, the vote sends a powerful message to the Democratic and Republican parties. Further, voting third party advances American democracy. 

Before discussing how important voting for third parties is, it is vital to first understand how presidential elections work. In presidential elections, candidates must be nominated in order to appear on the general ballots. For the two major parties, Democratic and Republican, this simply means a candidate has to be nominated by the party during the national convention held the summer before elections. A third party candidate, to appear on the ballot, must go through a different process that includes meeting the criteria to appear on the ballot in each individual state. In most states, this includes petitioning state residents for approval to run. If the candidate does not receive enough signatures within a time frame, typically 6 weeks, the candidate can not appear on the state's ballot. However, in other states, there is no avenue for third party candidates to appear on the ballot. 

After a candidate receives the nomination, they must secure a majority vote from the Electoral College. In fact, each state has the same number of electors as their state representatives in Congress. During the general election, the general population votes for a party slate Electoral College member. Meaning the average citizen, when voting for a presidential candidate, is actually voting for a party  representative to cast the electoral vote for that party's candidate. In 48 states, the Electoral College members are determined by the majority vote of the state, while in Maine and Nebraska two Electoral College members are determined by majority vote of the state and the rest are divided up by the congressional districts. In order to become president, a candidate must receive at least 270 electoral votes, a clear majority. 

The obvious issue as a third party candidate is receiving a nomination in enough states to win an election. Realistically, appearing on the general ballot in 50 states is nearly impossible. However, third parties in the past have been effective without appearing on all 50 general ballots. Third parties shift elections by splitting the votes. These candidates are often termed “spoiler candidates” because they ‘spoil’ an election. Theodore Roosevelt is a famous example of a spoiler candidate during the 1912 election where he ran as a third party after losing the Republican nomination to Taft. The two split the Republican vote causing Wildrow Wilson to win the election. Without Roosevelt’s third party run, historians doubt Wilson would have garnered enough support to win the election. 

It is no secret that third parties are effective in shaping the course of an election, which is why third parties face another roadblock: misinformation. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are known to publicly condemn third party voting as ‘throwing away your vote.’ This leads to a phenomenon called tactical voting. Tactical voting is voting for who you perceive is more likely to win out of two candidates because you don’t want to ‘throw away’ your vote on a candidate that will lose. For example, voting for the Democratic candidate instead of a third party candidate because you don’t want the Republican candidate to win (and vice versa). Tactical voting limits options and ultimately forces individuals to vote out of fear. Voting out of fear does nothing but limit the average American's voice on politics.

 Voting third party can force the two major party systems to present better presidential candidates. Because many people vote tactically, the parties are not pushed to find favorable candidates because they know whoever is nominated will get their party's support. If more Americans vote third party, the Democratic and Republican parties will be forced to adapt to the preferences of voters. Voters have more power than credited, and if directed to mass vote outside of the two party system, they can make substantial changes. Currently, 40% of Americans are considering voting for a third party. 

Further, enough people voting third party raises awareness for the problems of the Electoral College and the two-party system. America must adapt to the needs of a democracy today. The two-party system is not working if the majority of Americans do not favor either presidential candidate. If  a president is going to represent the American people, the American people should genuinely want the president to represent them. Since the Democratic and Republican parties continue to nominate individuals not favored by their constituents, there must be push back by not voting for these candidates. Another interesting dilemma presented by voting third party is the possibility that a third party candidate could win a popular vote and not the election due to the way the Electoral College is set up. This already occurs within the two-party system, but is often shrugged off because both candidates have a ‘fair’ chance to gain Electoral College voters. The same can not be said for third party candidates who do not have the same access to the Electoral College nomination system.  If a third party won the popular vote, it would be a clear indication that the Electoral College system is not working. 

New parties such as the No Labels Party are emerging because they see a need for options outside Democrats and Republicans. The No Labels Party’s mission is for “less divisive” and “common sense” politics. They are appealing to more moderate Democrats and Republicans who do not feel represented by the recent extremist politics. The Democratic party worried they would steal enough votes to keep them out of the White House, so they allegedly launched an anti-No Labels campaign. Ultimately, the No-Labels Party will not be offering up any nominees for the 2024 election, but their support is growing. The No-Labels Party exemplifies the power voters and third parties hold because there was so much push back against the No-Labels Party.

In general, there are more third party nominees that are well funded than past years-- meaning the chances of a third party candidate making an impact is higher. Moving forward, voting for a third party should not be discouraged. Especially with the upcoming election, more is at stake than a presidential candidate. Americans must grapple with what they want from their representatives and political parties. Voting for a third party would force change within the parties.

Ultimately, voting third party forces a bipartisan re-evaluation of the two party system which will benefit the country. The upcoming election appears to only be between Trump and Biden.  If voters want change, tactical voting will not work. However, voting third party resists the two-party system that has continued to disappoint Americans. Further, voting for a third party is a sign that America is moving forward by demanding better representation. “After 4 years, this is the best we could come up with?” The harsh truth is it is not.