Utilize third party voting in future elections

The choice of who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election may be obvious to some, but for others, it may feel that their only option is to choose the “lesser of two evils.” Even though third parties exist on nearly every ballot, they become irrelevant instead of viable choices for voters — when they very well could be. Of course, it is too late to advocate on a grand scale for third party candidates in this upcoming presidential election, but it is important to keep in mind for the future.

The last time a third party candidate received electoral college votes in a presidential election was in 1968. In 2016, the most popular third party candidate procured only about 3% of the overall popular vote. I see this as a waste of potential, as third party candidates could give more options for voters instead of falling to the wayside. 

Elections tend to become very black and white, where you either vote for the democrat or the republican — most of which stick to the main ideas their political parties have had for years and years. Having these two dominating political parties has been detrimental to the country, for most candidates look toward power and reelection, opposed to actually making a change. 

Instead of being a “throw away” vote, third party candidates have the potential to represent new and complex viewpoints, allowing for candidates to shine that do not perfectly fit into the mold that democrats and republicans want their candidate to. 

Third party candidates could also allow for more representation. 

It can go without saying that many candidates for political offices are the same old white guys who have been involved in politics for years without much of a fresh perspective.

Additionally, major political campaigns really only thrive when the candidate has the funds to boost their campaign. Hence, it favors the rich, or people who have the support of powerful people.

There needs to be a way for more “regular” people to take office and make changes that represent people that look and live the way they do. Third parties could be a way to make this happen, outside the realm of major political parties that are stuck in their ways.

More than ever, our country needs people in power that understand the way most Americans live. They also need to be representative of what America looks like: People of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures. 

People who have experienced issues relating to finances or race will be more inclined to and feel more passionately to get those issues fixed. These sort of candidates representing the average American could thrive without the corruption of things such as power and wealth found in a lot of modern politics.

Ideally, we should be voting for candidates based on how well we think they can represent us and the policies we support. Everyone should be able to vote for a candidate that could represent these things without feeling morally weird or compromised about it. 

So when it comes to elections in the future, we need to ditch the notion that voting third parties is a waste but rather find a way to use it as an opportunity to put better and more representative people in office. We may not be able to control what major political parties do, but we can try to take matters into our own hands, and we should consider that moving forward when backing candidates for future elections.