Politics

Purple Badge of Courage

Who are you planning to vote for this November, and why?

"I actually like Hillary/Trump, and I think she/he will make a great president that represents me well."
Stop reading. Either your dream or your nightmare will come true in November no matter what...right?

"I don't like Hillary/Trump, but I don't want my Republican/Democratic presidential vote to be lost."
Dear reader, your individual vote already doesn't make a difference, unless you live in a swing state or Nebraska or Maine. Thanks to closed debates, gerrymandering, and the perpetuation of the winner-take-all tradition by the parties in power, the destiny of most states is pre-ordained. So why don't you vote for someone you like?

"That's not what I meant when I said that my vote would be lost. I meant that a vote for anyone other than Candidate A is a vote for Candidate B."
I understand what you're trying to say, just as I understand people who talk of giving 110 percent. In fact, my point is based on the same kind of hyperbole: "A vote for either of the two main parties is a vote for the system to stay the same."
All you Bernie Sanders supporters out there, do you really think Hillary will make it a priority to change the crooked primary system that got her nominated? To the silent majority of Republicans with common sense, yes, it is partially your fault for not going to the polls to dump Trump in the primaries. But neither major candidate is going to reform the electoral system. Why don't you vote for someone who will?

"I'm a Democrat in a blue state who doesn't really like Hillary, or I'm a non-racist Republican in a red state."
You, my friend, have the best of both worlds. You have the opportunity to vote for a candidate that more truly represents you, and know that your party will still win your state. Now, if you turn down that chance  and vote for your party's candidate, just to feel like you're part of the winning team, then... read the book 1984, all the way through the last sentence. That last sentence is you.

"Whoa, that was harsh. I don't really support Hillary/Trump, I just want to be loyal to my party."
While you can use hyperbole to tell me that not voting for Candidate A is the same as voting for Candidate B, no amount of wordsmithing can claim that a vote for Candidate A is not an endorsement of Candidate A. If you vote for the (supposed) lesser of two evils, then you are still voting for evil.
And why does your party deserve loyalty? Republicans, your party let this happen. Democrats, your party made this happen.

"Well, it's true that I don't really want to vote for a corrupt carpet-bagger or a petulant buffoon. But then who should I vote for?"
Republicans, have you considered the fiscally conservative, small-government Libertarian Gary Johnson? Democrats, have you considered the war-averse, socially tolerant Libertarian Gary Johnson?
If neither of those two is conservative or progressive enough for you, then you can vote for Constitution Party candidate Darrell Castle or Green Party candidate Jill Stein, respectively. All of the above names will be on the ballot in many states.

"Any other options?"
Remember that in most states, nothing is stopping you from writing in a person's name. It could be Ben Carson or Bernie Sanders. It could literally be anyone and your vote will be counted as not null. You can even write in "Taylor Swift" and Kanye will let you finish.
(In nine states, shamefully, a write-in vote is counted as a null vote. The worst of these is Oklahoma, because Castle and Stein won't be on the ballot either. Democracy much, Oklahoma?)

"Hey, I've read the Constitution! I know Taylor Swift isn't old enough!"
Not to take office, no. But her name would still count as a non-null vote in most states.

"What? You want me to vote for someone who cannot win? You're calling for anarchy!"
Well then, vote for a qualified candidate who merely won't win.
I am calling for a revolution--a bloodless one. (Republicans, put down the guns. Democrats, put down the Molotov cocktails.) The lack of bloodshed doesn't mean nothing is at risk, though. In order for your voice to be heard, you'll have to give up the likelihood of winning.

"Um, that doesn't seem so risky. I've survived my candidate losing before."
I know, right?
In fact, the biggest risk is that America will miss this chance. There's never been a better time to scrap the broken system of primaries than the year in which that system led both main parties to nominate a candidate whom the majority of party members don't like!

"So you're telling me there's a chance?"
If Hillary/Trump fail to get 270 electoral votes, then the House of Representatives would elect the President. The worst-case scenario is that they pick the candidate that you like the least: an outcome that was quite possible in a normal election. Even then, politicians at every level would be spooked enough to start listening to us the people a little more.
The best case scenario is that a third-party candidate is elected president. Then you would be a victorious warrior in an unprecedented revolution.
Either way, you could wear your purple badge of courage with pride and a clean conscience.

"What if I just stay home and don't vote for anyone?"
Now that would be throwing your vote away.