this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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Politics
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And that'll end the Gaza Genocide?
The U.S. voter base does not realistically have a choice regarding Gaza in this election. None. Zero. Nada. Do not even try going on about third parties or withholding votes. I know from your comment history that you're trying to dampen harm reduction votes, so I'm not trying to convince you. But when it comes to casting a vote in the 2024 election, failing to cast a strategic vote against Donald Trump when so many people will suffer if he comes back is a completely indefensible position. It's probably safe to say that everyone on Earth, save perhaps Russia, will be worse off if that monster comes back. I voted uncommitted in the primaries. I'm fucking massively pissed off about the genocide the U.S. government is aiding and abetting. But there isn't shit I can really do about it save protest. This is a first-past-the-post voting system. It punishes and discourages third party voting. If you oppose Trump, and vote Stein, then you threw away a perfectly good vote that could have been used to block Trump. That's the thing about this system, and why it sucks so bad: you're forced to cast a vote against the viable candidate that you dislike more by casting one for the other viable candidate. It doesn't mean you particularly like or support the candidate you voted for, but the system actively punishes doing anything else. U.S. voters aren't exactly the cream of the crop, but even they get this, and with the massive upswing in polarization lately, even fewer people would vote for a third party. Voting third party in the U.S. is completely useless. In a general election, votes are not endorsements. People can and do swallow their pride and do what needs to be done. And what needs to be done is to prevent a second Donald Trump presidency and Project 2025 from becoming reality. That's it. Fascism's coming and only a fool(based on the emotions involved, I will give American Muslims a pass, though it is very much not in their best interest to have Trump Part II) would screw around here because they're so desperate to feel superior to others because they "took the high road".
Harm reduction voting makes sense in swing states. How is voting third party useless in a non-swing state?
Even in that case, there really isn't much reason to vote for a third party. Especially if they're one that only pops up on presidential elections while making zero effort to build an overall movement. There are some that probably are genuine, but I suspect most people willing to stand in a third-party presidential candidacy are likely either grifting or intentionally trying to act as a spoiler. Honestly, unless one of the major parties collapses or we actually somehow move past the first-past-the-post voting systems, third parties in general are just a waste of time and effort that could be used on something more effective. I honestly think that if you're in a state where your vote in the presidential election doesn't matter, writing in the name of someone like Bernie Sanders or leaving it blank would be a better use of a vote than a third party.