The Dreaded Absentee Ballot Arrives

So I haven't written really since school started. Other than the busyness that comes with school, I've been dreading this post. There are plenty of other things with more application and meaning going on in my life I could share...but no...it's the election season and I feel the need to comment on it.

I've finally decided on a candidate and suddenly feel like I'm probably going to get a lot of criticism and be defending myself constantly. No matter who you decide on, someone around you will disagree and not get it. But I've decided to vote third-party. Which will get a ton of criticism. So I'm going to give a brief defense of this decision.

Here's the main argument I get from people to not vote third-party:

"It's wasting your vote."
"There's no chance they'll win, so why waste your vote?"

I think this is a terrible argument.

Let's take this out of the Mccain/Obama realm of things for a second. Let's be extreme.

If two terribly evil men were competing to run your country...and you were told you had to pick one, even though you knew for a fact they were both terrible people...would you...an American...just pick the lesser of two evils for the sake of voting? I don't think you would! I think you'd cry out against such a narrow choice, against being dictated by evil men. It would be like taking a survey where someone asked you who was a the best most moral person: Hitler or Stalin. You'd say they were both bad. And they kept pushing...yeah but which one was good? You'd struggle with it. Would you cave and pick the less of two evils for the sake of answering the question? Or would you just not take the survey because the question was completely ridiculous? (Maybe a reason some people choose not to vote?)

Okay so I know Obama and Mccain are not evil men. But if I disagree with them both...why should I be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils if there are in fact other people running I agree with?

Whether or not they get elected isn't the point. It is a matter of principle. You should vote your heart. You should vote for who you agree with on the issues and who you feel will do the best job. This is what our country was founded on. Vote out of principle.

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams

I love this quote. Cmon guys...even if you know you are the only person standing up for what you believe in...shouldn't you still do it? Isn't that a commonplace for Christians even? Even if you knew everyone else in the world thought God wasn't real...and you knew no one would agree with you, that you'd stand alone and make no progress whatsoever. Wouldn't you still stand up for what you believe in? Still believe in God, though everyone else mocked you for it?

And I think it IS making progress to vote third-party. A two-party system is not good enough. And it is not American. Freedom of choice and expression is American, no matter how many opinions that shows. Just because these are the two dominating parties does not mean they always will be. Historically there has been almost a dozen Presidents who were not Republican or Democrat who were elected. And some of them are some of the most memorable!

Presidents Elected Historically By Party:

Democrats: 14
Republicans: 17
Federalists: 2
George Washington
John Adams
Democratic Republican: 4
John Quincy Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
Whig: 4

If we take the attitude that we shouldn't vote for third parties because they don't stand a chance...then they will never stand a chance. But if more and more people vote their conscience then maybe progress will be made. And I'd like to see a third-party president win in my lifetime.
So if nothing else, I'm encouraging you to vote your heart. If that is a democrat, or a republican and you truly believe in them and think they are the right person for the job...VOTE FOR THEM! Please! But look into every candidate. Put some thought, research and time into it. It's worth it! And then vote who fits you best no matter what their chances are. At least then you can feel good about who you chose without doubts.

Well this post has been too long for my to explain my choice, so I'm gonna end it here with just that I really put tons of time and research into my choice, and picked who I thought was best.

---Noelle