[This is part 5 of 9 in a series answering the question who American Christians should vote for in the 2024 Presidential election]
Intro – Biden – Trump – Issues Not Addressed – Third Parties
– Biblical View – Fear – Summary – Final Summary
Third Parties.
This is the one people think I’m going to push for, and I will to some extent, but not exclusively.
PROS
I think third parties are the most American way to vote. I would like if all parties were “third” parties, and we had 5 or 6 parties in Congress. That won’t happen because of how we count votes. But it sure would be nice. It also encourages compromise and more centrist candidates (not exclusively, it also allows for more extremes in some cases. )
Your vote matters – if you vote third party, your voice is actually counted. Rather than just one more in a sea of red or blue, the media will report “The green party got 3 million votes.” You might even get to talk to your candidate or representative.
You can find a party that more accurately represents your view.
Don’t get me wrong on this one. You will never (or probably never) find a party that fits exactly what you think. If you are a Christian, and you think your party is the only Biblical one, you’ve made an idol out of your party, my friends. However, with third parties, you can get considerably closer than with major parties. And that might be a good thing.
Third parties introduce new ideas into the political gene pool. The recent example of this is the Green Party. Back in 2000, the Green Party took some votes from Al Gore in Florida, which ultimately cost him the election. After that, the Democratic Party incorporated some of the ideas of the Green Party into their platform, which is why we have the Green New Deal and other ideas in Congress from Democrats now. The party didn’t win, but its ideas moved into one of the major parties.
Freedom
I for one don’t like being told who to vote for, and I don’t like my vote being taken for granted. I think a lot of men and women died to give me the right to vote, and I don’t like two parties saying “this is who you get. Take it or leave it.” Well, I shall leave it, thank you. I will use my rights and freedoms to influence the political process in my own small way. That’s what America is about, and I think we should celebrate it.
CONS
As mentioned, under the US system, it’s nearly impossible for a third party to win an election. Some local or state elections are “somewhat” possible, but the national presidential election is not gonna happen. So, if you vote third party for the presidency, you will not get your candidate. It’s pretty much guaranteed.
Effort
I put this as a con, because so many people are opposed to it. If you want to find out what third parties stand for, you have to actually look at what they say. Many people don’t even look at the platform of the party they vote for. I recommend doing this. Again, to honor the men and women who died to give you that freedom.
Social Ostracism
I’m sort of kidding about this, but I’ve never gotten as many questions about my intelligence as when i’ve talked about 3rd party voting. People keep trying to pin me down about “you’re just emotional” or “don’t you see only two people can win?” As if I…you know…haven’t ever read a book or watched a History Channel special on the presidency. So, be warned. If you decide to vote third party, you will be called names implying you are irrational or a moron or both.
So, that’s the third party. More on this when I do the sumup post.