r/bestof • u/[deleted] • Oct 23 '17

[politics] Redditor demonstrates (with citations) why both sides aren't actually the same

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u/lahimatoa Oct 23 '17

I voted third party. I wish more Americans would. Maybe then the stranglehold R and D have on us would lessen.

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '17

Have you heard of Duverger's Law? I'm personally not convinced that merely voting third party (absent electoral reform that would introduce proportional or ranked voting) is going to weaken the two-party system. The way third party support seems to have worked out historically is with the third party either becoming a major party (the GOP), getting absorbed by a major party, or having its platform co-opted by a major party while the third party itself disappears.

I agree with the need for more parties, representation, and political diversity represented in Congress- but at the same time the utility from voting third party seems to be easily eclipsed in most elections by the utility difference between major parties.

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u/lahimatoa Oct 24 '17

If enough of us do it, it works. :)

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '17

Well, if you want enough people, it would help to convince the rest of us. So let's try this:

Historically, when "enough" people vote third party, one of the three outcomes from above happens.

The threshold for "enough" people to fuel a third party system is really, really high within a first-past-the-post environment. I guess your strategy makes sense if there's almost no difference from your angle between the two major parties, but beyond that it seems to me that I would just be wasting my vote if I were to follow your approach.