Thinking Question

Question

Should voters support a third party that has no chance of winning? Or should they vote for the major party candidate they dislike less? How might one reconcile his or her decision to support a third-party candidate in our two-party system? Explain your responses



Answer 1

In my opinion, because the lesser of two evils is still better than a greater evil, one should vote pragmatically for a lesser evil in a first-past-the-post, winner-take-all electoral system such as we have in the United States. That is, an electoral system where voters cast a vote for only one candidate running for a position. I believe one should be realistic about the electoral system they are participating in and support a lesser evil that still has a significant chance of besting a greater evil given no viable, alternative options. One possible way to settle this issue is to adopt a ranked voting system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. This way, a voter can cast a vote for a third party candidate and still support a lesser evil over a greater evil.