Lesser of Two Evils?

OK...This isn't mine. It is written by someone else. However, when I read it, I realized that he has some things to really think about and consider here. I know that I am thinking about them...a LOT!

On Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils

The irony in the Lesser of Two Evils deception is the assumption that a vote for the lesser evil has an impact in the election in which it is cast, when in fact a vote has more of an impact AFTER THE ELECTION if the vote is properly cast.

When politicians get elected, most of them do not act so as to represent the people who just invested their vote in the elected official. The election is over.

The office holder immediately starts acting so as to attract votes in the NEXT election.

The incumbent representative now uses vote statistics cast in the past election as a guide to where the votes are going to be and what issues and viewpoints are of concern to the voters in the next election.

While your vote will rarely impact the outcome of a current election, it will always impact the next election with influence regardless of who just won. The only way for individual voters to influence the candidates toward your convictions and concerns is to vote for people who actually represent your convictions and concerns.

Many people insist that everyone left of center should vote for Democrats rather than for third party candidates in order to keep Republicans from winning.

Many people insist that everyone right of center should vote for Republicans rather than for third party candidates in order to keep Democrats from winning,

For liberals; continuing to vote for Democrats as long as they are perceptibly less bad than the Republicans is precisely the thing that causes them to keep moving to the right.

For conservatives; continuing to vote for Republicans as long as they are perceptibly less bad than the Democrats is precisely the thing that causes them to keep moving to the left.

If you live in a decidedly red or blue state though; your vote doesnt change the outcome of the electoral college vote one bit. Decidedly red or blue states mean that unless one of the candidates does something so outlandish that it causes his base support to jump off his campaign; it's a decided red or blue state.

Look at the electoral college map. There are only 9 - 10 or so undecided states that could go either way. http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Another post-election effect of voting for third parties or Independents that do represent your view and convictions is that it encourages other people that it's okay and worthwhile to do so. Once they see other voters are increasingly voting Independent or third party they feel secure in voting what is on their heart too.

THINK ABOUT THIS THOUGH:
When three (3) candidates or more are running for the office of president in the general election in November, the winner DOES NOT NEED A MAJORITY of the vote.

The presidency is decided state-by-state on a “first past the post” basis.
That means if I understand this correctly; whoever gets the winning plurality carries the state’s electoral college votes. And that’s true in 48 out of the 50 states, I think in the two others it’s done by congressional district, but still on the basis of that same plurality – whoever gets the biggest plurality, gets the electoral college vote.

For instance, in a race where you have a three way race and a few other minor candidates; the minor candidates usually get around 6% - 10% of the vote combined. That means the 3 major candidates will be dividing up approximately 90% of the vote between them.

Now that means that the winning plurality will be somewhere between 30% to 40%.

If your heart's convictions and concerns are like those of 35% to 40% of the populace; the third party or Independent candidate would become president if everyone that believed like you do would stop voting from fear and vote for what they truelly believe in.

You don’t have to convert the people who do not agree with you. All you have to do is get the people who do agree with you to act according to the courage of their convictions and stop voting with those that they dont really agree with.

As long as most everyone continues voting for the two major party candidates, the candidates will continue to be two very similar looking candidates moving away from individual freedoms, rights and liberties as they serve corporate interests and big government.

Besides, voting for somebody that you actually agree with is the way the election is supposed to work, right?