Morosoph's Journal: Vote Third (or Fourth) Party

There has been a lot of discussion about wasted votes, the importance of voting, etcetera. I would like to ask people to vote for a "minor" party.

Here's why:

• You communicate the most information with a "minority" choice.
• You are actively voting for diversity of representation.
• Your intent will affect the mood of the local population proportionately*, and could therefore win more support for your cause.
• Your vote will give strength to would-be third party voters in future elections.
• Whoever gets elected, they will want to win the next election, and you have given them some indication how to win your vote. You could find yourself better represented than many voters for that candidate.

*I did some canvassing for a centrist, socially liberal party in Britain a few years ago. One strategy was to go after the vote of the less-supported "main" party, which resulted in an equal number of votes falling from the other party, now that their provisional supporters felt less threatened. Voters do sense the intentions of their immediate community when making their own judgements on how to vote.

I am voting Libertarian (no joke either)

[robi2106]

I just filled out a sample ballot provided by my local paper (left leaning thugh it may be) which was populated by Q&As from the candidates. I voting for two Libertarian candidates and the rest to my party. Why the disloyalty? Well the party candidate I am voting against did not give me the answers I wanted to hear. I can't consider the minority majority party because they are mostly nuts and represent wildly divergant opinions to my own. I even read their Q&A responses to confirm for myself.

Go

I Probably Would Myself...

[Morosoph]

Being socially liberal, and economically competent, generally preferring market-based solutions to problems (ec=0.13 soc=-6.97) [politicalcompass.org].

My part of the graph is inhabited by few politicians, though, so all that I can do is get them to compete for my vote. If I can drag them in roughly the right direction, then maybe a few more parties will appear in my part of the graph. The way that things stand, I have to vote for politicians that are either to my left or to my right in order to find the right degree of socia