https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:31:47 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2594027 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 21:11:15 +0000 LCTBQE 2594027@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSCB: haha, Sheila Jackson Lee FTW. she's a barrel of monkeys. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593697 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 12:53:56 +0000 Rescuemom10 2593697@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This election is just terrifying to me. I feel 3rd party is throwing it away. Yet the other two options are both scary. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593590 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 11:23:19 +0000 periwinklebee 2593590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Pen: the wikipedia page on the electoral college describes it more clearly than I did: "The Twelfth Amendment provides for what happens if the Electoral College fails to elect a president or vice president. If no candidate receives a majority for president [currently 270 electoral college votes], then the House of Representatives will select the president, with each state delegation (instead of each representative) having only one vote. If no candidate receives a majority for vice president, then the Senate will select the vice president, with each senator having one vote. " <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)</a></p> <p>Also "Except for the electors in Maine and Nebraska, electors are elected on a "winner-take-all" basis. That is, all electors pledged to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes in a state become electors for that state." This also makes it hard for a third party, and is what makes so many of our votes meaningless if we're in a state that's not close. This part is not in the constitution, and individual states could (and some have tried to) change it. So this is an example of what @yoursilverlining: said - that changing things at a state level could be a first step...of course, there could be downsides to changing this as well, depending on how it's changed. For example, Maine and Nebraska have a winner-take-all system at the congressional district level. If more states did this, there is a scenario where it would just worsen gerrymandering. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593324 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 06:45:45 +0000 ElbieKay 2593324@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am terrified by the prospect of a Trump presidency. No way would I ever throw away my vote in this election on a third party candidate. I live in NJ though, so not sure it really matters all that much (not a swing state). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593306 Wed, 27 Jul 2016 01:05:28 +0000 sunny 2593306@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: thanks for posting that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593272 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:56:11 +0000 MrsSCB 2593272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: yes, I voted absentee in Virginia the whole five years I lived in NYC -- part of that was out of sheer laziness, though, haha. I'm a Texas voter now, though. I like being able to vote in the local elections here, though national are kind of a done deal! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593267 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:46:29 +0000 Mrs. Pen 2593267@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I didn't know that, thanks for sharing. I'll have to look into that a little more..</p> <p>I'm largely undecided. No freaking way am I voting for Trump. So it's between Clinton (who I would begrudgingly vote for) or third party. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593260 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:34:09 +0000 LCTBQE 2593260@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSCB: I'll bet! I know several people from Florida who've lived here a million years and still vote absentee ballot. I'd do it too, except I'm from Texas, which, you know the deal :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593135 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 18:08:11 +0000 MrsSCB 2593135@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: I miss living in Va., elections were more exciting ;-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593129 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 17:53:18 +0000 LCTBQE 2593129@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjd: ha, I was just thinking about Ross Perot. </p> <p>I've never lived in a state whose party loyalty will ever budge, so I'm not averse to the idea of throwing the libertarians a vote. If I lived in a swing state or anything close to it, I would *never* consider it. I know it's a bad attitude but I just can't imagine what it must be like to have your presidential vote count for anything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593126 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 17:44:26 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2593126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For a presidential election??! I wasn't aware that even people considered it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november/page/2#post-2593109 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 16:59:57 +0000 mrsjd 2593109@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think voting for a third-party candidate is a good way to get the person who is least like your third-party candidate to win. The "split the vote" idea. See Bush/Gore/Nader. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2593090 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 16:31:05 +0000 JenGirl 2593090@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JCCovi: Ross Perot didn't change anything and he got nearly 19% of the popular vote.</p> <p>@emilye519: &amp; @MrsSCB: THIS. A viable third party needs to start at the local level rather than just making some noise every fourth year at the presidential election. </p> <p>Personally, I've voted third party in the past when I lived in a very heavily red state where I knew it wouldn't hurt anything. </p> <p>This election, I live in a swing state and I'm sure as hell not giving Trump a vote by voting third party. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2593039 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:00:29 +0000 looch 2593039@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I suspected that this would be the constraint, thank you for outlining it so clearly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2593032 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 14:56:06 +0000 yoursilverlining 2593032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: Thank you for sharing this information. I think a lot of people are unaware of this. It isn't just R and D rhetoric to say we have a 2 party system. If we want to change that, (I think) change needs to come from the bottom up, not the top down with votes in a Presidential election but no reform of the systems, rules and laws behind the scenes, so to speak. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2593023 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 14:43:17 +0000 Bibliolove 2593023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope, big nope. Too much at stake. I don't want a bigoted reality TV star and demagogue to be President. I dream of the day Trump loses. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592991 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 14:14:08 +0000 periwinklebee 2592991@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Even if by some miracle Johnson or some other third party candidate got a majority of the popular vote, there's no way they would get a majority of the electoral college votes (this would mean that Trump and Clinton together would have to be less than half). If no candidate gets the majority of the electoral college, the house decides the president, with each state delegation casting one vote. Which means it would go to Trump, since there are more republican than dem states in the house. (Senate decides VP). </p> <p>With our current electoral rules, there's just no way for a third party to be competitive. Bloomberg's "The Risk I will not Take" article on why he decided not to run for president is a good discussion of this <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-03-07/the-2016-election-risk-that-michael-bloomberg-won-t-take" rel="nofollow">https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-03-07/the-2016-election-risk-that-michael-bloomberg-won-t-take</a> Short of amending the constitution, our electoral system just doesn't support more than two parties. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592970 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 13:41:03 +0000 Adira 2592970@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>20% of our respondents said they were going to or were thinking about it... That's a large percentage! :meh: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592886 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:55:39 +0000 nana87 2592886@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjazz: I do the same thing with the Working Families Party when they have Dems on their ticket :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592883 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:51:34 +0000 MrsSCB 2592883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@emilye519: "I really think that if people want to see a third party grow and really take foot that will happen at the local and state elections before seriously being a contender at the national level." &lt;---Yes, I totally agree. If people want to create a viable third party, I'm going to need them to talk to me about it more than once every four years. It feels like presidential election season rolls around, and the third parties are like, "Oh, hey, I guess it's time to trot out our candidates and remind people they have another choice!" Then they have an abysmal showing on election day, it's quiet for three years and we start all over again. It all feels more like grandstanding than actually putting in effort to change our current two-party system. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592878 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:39:37 +0000 Madison43 2592878@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs D: yes, exactly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592861 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:22:36 +0000 Mrs. Chocolate 2592861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I dont know how to vote. Im a pretty hard core Democrat and cant see myself not voting that way but obviously if their candidate was something I could absolutely not stomach then I reserve the right to change my mind but this election I am voting as I always do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592831 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 10:53:39 +0000 Mrs D 2592831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would if 1) my views aligned with theirs and 2) it wasn't risking an awful person becoming president...so this year is not the year for me to vote third party.. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592769 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 09:56:19 +0000 twodoghouse 2592769@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've voted 3rd party before (for governor), but I always vote Democrat for presidential elections. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592720 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 08:57:48 +0000 emilye519 2592720@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I voted no never but really I meant no never in this election. I am a moderate, but my views closely align with the Democratic Party. However, if there ever were a shift in the party's ideologies and leadership like we've seen in the Republican Party, I would be open to a third party. </p> <p>That being said, there is too much at stake in this election, and I really think that if people want to see a third party grow and really take foot that will happen at the local and state elections before seriously being a contender at the national level. I also think that casting a third party vote has ramifications and can swing support to/away from major party candidates so I would have to take that into account. I think the party's platform is just as/if not more important that the candidate so I really try to closely examine the platform and not just write off a a party because of personal issues with the candidate. Except Donald Trump - I'm sorry, he's awful. I'm not really sorry though because ewww. Thought that about him long before he started this presidential campaign. </p> <p>I'm just grateful to live in a democracy where I can exercise my right to vote! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592718 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 08:57:20 +0000 lilyann 2592718@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not for this presidential election...too much at stake. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592697 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 08:44:03 +0000 lilyofthewest 2592697@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My state is not even vaguely a swing state, so, I would consider it if there was a candidate on the ballot who represented my views more closely than Clinton. If I still lived in a swing state? No way!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592687 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 08:36:45 +0000 mediagirl 2592687@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Everyone said Trump could never be a presidential candidate. I refuse to say a third party candidate could never get the votes they need to get into the debates in 4 years. I am voting Johnson, as are a group of my local friends. It's refreshing to see people who aren't afraid of taking a chance and looking for a change. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592638 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 07:40:25 +0000 Adira 2592638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope! I'm a proud Democrat and will most likely always vote for the Democratic ticket unless they end up being a crazy person. I'll proudly be voting for Hillary in November. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-this-november#post-2592609 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 07:07:08 +0000 ValentineMommy 2592609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Way too much at stake this time. </p>