Third Parties and Wasted Votes
Print ViewWelcome back after an extra week off blogging! Today's topic is just in time for the elections: is a vote for a third-party candidate a wasted vote?
A "third party," of course, is any party besides the Democratic and Republican parties. So, why do they exist? If you vote for a third-party candidate, doesn't that mean that you are helping to defeat the better of the two major-party candidate? In other words, if you think Barack Obama is better than John McCain but vote for a third-party candidate, aren't you taking your vote away from Obama and thus helping McCain to win? If you think George Winner will be okay but John Tonello will be terrible, but then vote for a really cool third-party candidate you know can't win, isn't that helping Tonello? After all, you could have voted for Winner...
Grab a pen and paper and jot down your thoughts AS YOU READ these two articles (or print them and highlight them). Then from your notes write a good response: do you agree, disagree, or a little of both? Are the writers telling it straight or are they slanting their stories? Remeber Proverbs 18:17: "the first to plead his cause seems just, until another comes and examines him."
The first article is from a Canadian running under a third-party call "the Christian Political Party Union." Her article is titled "The Myth of the Wated Vote." The second article is "3rd Parties: What They’re For and What They Do." You only need to read this second article to the last bullet point; you don't have to read the quotes and such, but you certainly may.
Remember: take some notes, write your opinions, and Monday bring in your notes and be ready to also discuss it in class!
