“Voting for a third party is a waste of a vote,” they say. “The structure of the Electoral College does not support third parties,” they say. “A third party will never win the election,” they say. Although it is far from likely that Gary Johnson or Jill Stein will be taking over the white house anytime soon, do we all have a right to scold these third-party voters as we do? I will admit, I once was among the many who critique these third-party supporters. I simply did not understand how anyone could be given such power to influence their country and simply throw it away on a candidate who had a slim-to-none chance of gaining the presidency. The fact that Utah was recently declared a swing state only seemed to increase my frustrations with these third-party voters. For the first time in years, Utah was not inevitably red, giving each and every vote a greater impact than ever before. In fear that Utah might retreat back to its Republican roots and hand over six electoral votes to the terrifying Trump, I protested against anyone supporting a third party. Though I understood that neither Trump nor Clinton had been a picture-perfect, saving grace, dream-come-true type of a candidate, I remained adamant that choosing a third party was simply foolish. If it had been socially acceptable to stand atop a table and scream in a blind rage, “Don’t vote for third parties, make your vote matter!” I probably would have taken the opportunity.
Yet, all it took was one third-party voter to completely change my mind. My boyfriend and I sat casually on the couch, and like most days, our conversation drifted into a passionate topic: politics. Our discussion on the matter began as most of my political arguments did, with a stern waving of a finger, overdramatic hand gestures, and some not-so-subtle profanities about how third party voters were, “damn fools if they thought they would win. The Electoral College’s design does not allow for third party power!” To my surprise, this particular voter did not argue against my claims and instead he answered with a gentle, “yeah, you may be right.” I was truly shocked at his response. I knew that his agreement was not simply because he was my boyfriend, but because he genuinely agreed with what I was saying. The two of us had come from very different political backgrounds. He was raised in a conservative, Mormon environment, while my family attended lesbian weddings and openly discussed topics like abortion, birth control and sex. Rarely in arguments such as these ones, with two such different political views, both parties come to an agreement. So, naturally, baffled, I asked him, “Then why are you a third-party voter?” His answer proved to be even more surprising than his agreement. He replied, “I understand that the Electoral College is not made for third parties. I also understand that it is extremely unlikely for these candidates to win. But, I would rather vote for someone I truly believed would do good by our country, than just vote for someone who is more likely to win. It doesn’t matter whether they win or lose, as long as I am confident in my decision.”
In a world of competitions, trophies, contests, and lotteries, I was bewildered by such a concept—that maybe, just maybe, voting wasn’t all about winning. Here this person was, standing in front of me, that felt as if it was his moral duty to choose someone who aligned with his own values and beliefs as closely as possible, even if their likelihood of gaining political power was miniscule. Then I realized, we all seem to criticize politicians for being dishonest and immoral beings, only looking to conform to a system. Yet, rarely do we stop to realize, that we as voters often act just as immorally, and I was no exception. As a voter, I did not seek out the candidate who acted as the best representation of my beliefs and my values, but simply picked between the “lesser of two evils.” Shamefully, I filled in Clinton bubble with dark black ink for the sole reason that I had disagreed with Trump. I was not confident that she would make the best president for my country. I was only confident that Trump would not. I, like many other Americans, voted with very little integrity and allowed myself to be manipulated by the institution of the Electoral College.
Now, as a regretful voter, I stand here asking myself, or rather, asking the world, when voting became yet another aspect of society where morality comes at a second priority? Though complaints against Clinton and Trump run rampantly through tweets, Facebook posts, Youtube Videos, and viral memes, I can’t help but wonder what percent of these unsatisfied voters would utilize the third-party system. I, personally, took no such opportunity. Instead, I blindly chose the “lesser of two evils,” with little research on the specifics of her platform and little consideration that neither of these two candidates might be necessarily best. With that in mind, I am here to ask, would we rather stand behind a candidate that was likely to win? Or a candidate that we felt would do best by our country? Perhaps, if we were to renovate our priorities in the voting booth, things like the Electoral College would have no power over us. After my sudden and unexpected epiphany, I realized that Democratic and Republican Party votes are not the only votes with the ability to make a difference. In fact, my dramatic conversion from anti-third party to third party supporter has led me to believe that the votes capable of making the greatest difference in our nation are the votes made with our own morality in mind.
Editor’s Note: All articles for Her Campus at the University of Utah are the opinions and beliefs of the writers and do not reflect Her Campus at the University of Utah, the University of Utah or Her Campus as an international magazine.