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Relevant Issues |
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The Bias of the Commission on Presidential Debates |
Relevant IssuesThe Myth of the Wasted Vote"The wasted vote syndrome is overplayed, and it certainly works to the advantage of the two major parties to keep that myth going. Newt Gingrich said essentially that a vote for Perot is a vote for Clinton, which is completely untrue; it's a vote for Perot. That's the whole idea." The idea of wasting one's vote on Election Day by casting your ballot for an independent or third party candidate is a political strategy created by the Republicans and Democrats to retain political power. When incumbents can not gain legitimate voter support through the power of their ideas, they resort to instilling a false fear into voters that they could waste their votes by supporting minority candidates. The media in turn reports this as "fact" instead of opinion. There is no inherent truth in the idea of the wasted vote except the power you give it by not voting your conscience. By buying into the myth of the wasted vote, voters create a self-filling prophecy. How can your preferred candidate win if you violate your own wishes and vote against him? It seems a colossal irony that by falling victim to the wasted vote syndrome, voters only help perpetuate the myth that third party candidates cannot win. Third party candidates can and do win elections. A perfect example is Jesse Ventura who was elected Governor of Minnesota when voters dismiss the wasted vote rhetoric and voted for their candidate of choice. "You had best use that vote to express your actual political beliefs. And if that means a third party candidate, that's the person to vote for." A New Definition of "Wasted Vote"A new definition is needed for the "wasted vote." Consider one that defines a "wasted vote" as a vote 'against' a candidate instead of 'for' a candidate. A wasted vote occurs when a voter is focused on the 'lesser of two evils' instead of expressing his true political beliefs. If you do not like either the Democratic or Republican candidate but cast your vote in opposition of the one whom you fear most, that's a wasted vote. Not only is this negative choice in opposition of one's own political ideology, it sends a false message of support to a party and its candidate. Politicians do not read your vote as a vote against the opposition. They take it as an endorsement that you support their policies and conduct in office. If anything it gives politicians another excuse to ignore your wishes, because once they have your vote what else do they need. Another definition of the "wasted vote," one that goes beyond the scope of any given election and far more threatening to our democracy, is the vote that never gets exercised. Despite the media reports claiming a sweeping endorsement of George W. Bush and the Republican Party in the 2002 mid-term elections, the reality is that less than 25 % of eligible voters supported the Republican ticket. The same is true of Bill Clinton's re-election in 1996 when there were actually more nonvoters than voters. It was the worst voter turnout in 72 years for a presidential election. That is hardly a ringing endorsement from the American public. Imagine the seismic shift in the political process and the nation's public policy if all of the nonvoters cast ballots in favor of independent and third party candidates and their alternative platforms. Obviously not all of American nonvoters would cast their ballots in favor of minority party candidates, but low turnout speaks to the alienation that many nonvoters feel towards the political process and the two major parties. The surest recourse Americans have to the special interest money dictating public policy is our vote. The clearest message you can send to incumbents that you are dissatisfied with the political direction of the country is a third party vote. Our Leaders Reflect UsThere is a lot of public angry and apathy over the conduct of our nation's political leaders. Yet the truth is they are a reflection of who we are as a nation. The outcry when politicians waver on an issue mirrors our own wavering on Election Day when we do not vote for our preferred candidates. How can we expect our elected officials to do what is best for the country if we as voters can not do so at the polls? If we continue to violate our beliefs, expect our elected officials to do the same. When we continue be apathetic about the future of the nation and the political process, expect our elected officials to continue focusing on what is politically expedient and immediately beneficial to their own re-election campaigns. We will never elect leaders who have stronger values than our own. The survival of American democracy is directly threatened by our silence at the polls. Every American must vote his or her conscience. We must not allow fear to convince us otherwise because fearful people are never be truly free. "A democracy that hates democracy and hates the political process is not going to survive as a great nation."
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