Counterpoint to this is that you sacrifice your principles and vote Party A and they still wind up losing again and again leaving Party B to run the entire government. Your vote was a throwaway vote anyway, so what would have been the harm in voting Party C?
Perhaps with enough momentum, Party C can reinvigorate the 50% of eligible voters who don’t even bother to show up due to years of disappointment and apathy with both Party A and Party B. How many times are you willing to vote Party A if they keep backing terrible candidates who can’t win, and even when they do by razor thin margins, do little to stem the tide of destruction? What are you gaining out of this system?
I’d argue that your mentality only encourages poor performance out of our elected officials and these two parties since they can count on you, and those on the other side, to vote for them regardless of what they do or don’t do, how well or bad they perform, and whatever promises they may or may not keep. What is even the point of voting for candidates when all you’re doing is voting for a specific party? They might as well make the election automatic based on whatever party everyone registers as. What’s the difference?
To me, this mentality is no different than those apathetic voters who sit out every election because all you’re doing is keeping this fucked up system going and expecting things to get better without doing anything different to change the outcome.
Not European I live in the US.
Counterpoint to this is that you sacrifice your principles and vote Party A and they still wind up losing again and again leaving Party B to run the entire government. Your vote was a throwaway vote anyway, so what would have been the harm in voting Party C?
Perhaps with enough momentum, Party C can reinvigorate the 50% of eligible voters who don’t even bother to show up due to years of disappointment and apathy with both Party A and Party B. How many times are you willing to vote Party A if they keep backing terrible candidates who can’t win, and even when they do by razor thin margins, do little to stem the tide of destruction? What are you gaining out of this system?
I’d argue that your mentality only encourages poor performance out of our elected officials and these two parties since they can count on you, and those on the other side, to vote for them regardless of what they do or don’t do, how well or bad they perform, and whatever promises they may or may not keep. What is even the point of voting for candidates when all you’re doing is voting for a specific party? They might as well make the election automatic based on whatever party everyone registers as. What’s the difference?
To me, this mentality is no different than those apathetic voters who sit out every election because all you’re doing is keeping this fucked up system going and expecting things to get better without doing anything different to change the outcome.
FYI, primary elections exist, but most people don’t bother voting in primaries.