NationStates Jolt Archive

Here in Australia, it's common. Many cast a third party vote in protest, why choose the lesser of two evil when you can choose a party that promises to make them listen to your veiws?

In Australia many elections are decided by the third party candidates in two ways, firstly preference votes sway the victor. EG Candidate A has 90,000 votes, Candidate B has 60,000 votes, Candidate C with 40,000 votes knows he/she can't win so endorses candidate B. Giving Candidate B the majority.

Also, not the last but the Queensland election before last was decided by a single independent Member of Parliament.

There is a great potential in third parties, they have the ability to say what they want and can keep the government in check by not relying on partylines or alliances.

So why is it that Americans veiw it as "throwing away your vote"?

Beacause of the electoral college, votes for minor parties are rendered invalid. Which is quite sad really.

I think the reason is that the third party canadates never get that much air time on T.V. or ANY information medium, this is why most people haven't even HEARD of the other canadates; just my thought.

Beacause of the electoral college, votes for minor parties are rendered invalid. Which is quite sad really.

Here, here! Good point, they should do away with this, it has been rendered totaly useless because of the mass media.

Beacause of the electoral college, votes for minor parties are rendered invalid. Which is quite sad really.
Bingo.

It also takes a ton of money to float a major campaign, something that a smaller party just can't do. There's also the watered down ideology problem where there's Left and Right and nothing else. People just don't seem to 'get' that it's possible to say yes to some issues and no to others.

Also, two things, one that there are not many memebers of the third parties, and two most people have the idea that you MUST vote for the canadate that is in your party no matter what his/her stance,

I think the reason is that the third party canadates never get that much air time on T.V. or ANY information medium, this is why most people haven't even HEARD of the other canadates; just my thought.
Yeah, that is probably one of many reasons. I mean when you really think about it do you think Ross Perot would have done as well as he did, as a third choice, as he did when he first ran back in the early 90's? Probably not.

I voted third party for the second election in a row. And the best part is that no matter who wins, when they screw up I can say, 'hell, i didn't vote for 'em.'

I agree. Third parties can not raise enough money to compete with the other two parties. Im betting alot of people didnt have a clue who the third party candidates even were.

I agree. Third parties can not raise enough money to compete with the other two parties. Im betting alot of people didnt have a clue who the third party candidates even were.
Doesn't help them that they're typically not on all the ballots across the US either.

I have seen the first two parties in action and lord know we don't need a third. :)

I have seen the first two parties in action and lord know we don't need a third. :)
Well you can look at it that way, or you can look at it another way:

You'll have a whole three idoits to choose from! Hooray! ;)

Because 3rd party canidates are usually crazy.

The electoral college is set up where a third party couldn't get much power. The writers of the constitution were afraid of political parties that were more like factions than anything else (now it would be like single-issue voters) and didn't want any at all. The electoral college is one thing that seperates the U.S. gov't from parliamentary systems, which work different.

If a third party were to gain a lot of momentum, it would eventually take over another or lead to the fall of another. This is very rare but has happened, like after the war of 1812 the Federalists (who are like modern Republicans) fell from power and the Republicans adopted their ideas, becoming the Republicans we now know today.

A third party candidaite has only won the presidential election once.

cause nader sux more then bush and kerry. and the others are complete wack jobs.

Nader is basically a joke in my community, which Bush won, but sadly, our little island couldn't turn the tide in New York.

Here in Australia, it's common. Many cast a third party vote in protest, why choose the lesser of two evil when you can choose a party that promises to make them listen to your veiws?

In Australia many elections are decided by the third party candidates in two ways, firstly preference votes sway the victor. EG Candidate A has 90,000 votes, Candidate B has 60,000 votes, Candidate C with 40,000 votes knows he/she can't win so endorses candidate B. Giving Candidate B the majority.

Also, not the last but the Queensland election before last was decided by a single independent Member of Parliament.

There is a great potential in third parties, they have the ability to say what they want and can keep the government in check by not relying on partylines or alliances.

So why is it that Americans veiw it as "throwing away your vote"?

Because most Americans are so stupid they think there's actually a difference between the Republicons and the Democraps.

Because most Americans are so stupid they think there's actually a difference between the Republicons and the Democraps.
Do you know this from personal experience? Or are you basing this off of some stereotype? I'm not going to disagree, I'm just curious more than anything.