Many people choose to sit out elections. They don't like the choices, they don't know the issues, therefore, they don't take the time to vote. I argue that even an informed voter is not necessarily a smart one. I consider myself to be a better informed voter than most and yet, I have voted for some pretty unsavory characters (I'm talking about you, John Edwards). The point is, no matter how well-informed we are, we all make mistakes.
Which leads me to my argument for protest voting. By definition, a protest vote is one when you for for someone just because you don't want someone else to get elected. Stay with me on this point. In 2016, I voted for Dr. Chris Peters against Rep. Dave Loebsack. What the hell?--you might say, but I did so because Loebsack voted for the Keystone Pipeline and was supportive of it running through Iowa. As it was the single most important issue to me, I voted against him and not because I "loved" Peters Liber-publican policies stances. However, in this cycle, with the Democrats likely to overtake the House, Dave Loebsack can vote to make unarmed burglary by an undocumented person a Federal (and deportable) crime and he still has my vote (or does he? Hmm...).
We've all heard how protest votes made Donald Trump President, which is convenient. But what is more true is that people who could have voted and they didn't. Who knows what would have happened if 10,000 or 15,000 more people voted in 2016 in places like Michigan? Maybe Trumpledore would still be President, but maybe not. One thing is for certain, a lot of folks voted for the Libertarians, Greens, and wrote in votes in those tightly contested states--I'm pretty sure they didn't think those parties would win. I'm going out on a limb and say those may have been protest votes.
The larger point is that your vote is yours to do with as you want. You don't want yet another man elected, vote for the woman. You think Black Lives Matter, vote for black candidates. You are tired of corporately-owned politicians, write yourself in or vote for the Green or Libertarian candidate who you've never heard of. But use your vote to express yourself and appreciate your freedom that a bunch of old white guys made possible for you (well, not all of you [at first], but eventually-ish). Because the only way we are going to get better politics is to bum rush the show.
Which leads me to my argument for protest voting. By definition, a protest vote is one when you for for someone just because you don't want someone else to get elected. Stay with me on this point. In 2016, I voted for Dr. Chris Peters against Rep. Dave Loebsack. What the hell?--you might say, but I did so because Loebsack voted for the Keystone Pipeline and was supportive of it running through Iowa. As it was the single most important issue to me, I voted against him and not because I "loved" Peters Liber-publican policies stances. However, in this cycle, with the Democrats likely to overtake the House, Dave Loebsack can vote to make unarmed burglary by an undocumented person a Federal (and deportable) crime and he still has my vote (or does he? Hmm...).
We've all heard how protest votes made Donald Trump President, which is convenient. But what is more true is that people who could have voted and they didn't. Who knows what would have happened if 10,000 or 15,000 more people voted in 2016 in places like Michigan? Maybe Trumpledore would still be President, but maybe not. One thing is for certain, a lot of folks voted for the Libertarians, Greens, and wrote in votes in those tightly contested states--I'm pretty sure they didn't think those parties would win. I'm going out on a limb and say those may have been protest votes.
The larger point is that your vote is yours to do with as you want. You don't want yet another man elected, vote for the woman. You think Black Lives Matter, vote for black candidates. You are tired of corporately-owned politicians, write yourself in or vote for the Green or Libertarian candidate who you've never heard of. But use your vote to express yourself and appreciate your freedom that a bunch of old white guys made possible for you (well, not all of you [at first], but eventually-ish). Because the only way we are going to get better politics is to bum rush the show.
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