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Democrat and Republican are not your only options

For the majority of Americans, this year’s election has come to mean choosing between the lesser of two evils. That doesn’t have to be the case, though.
If you ask a random person off the street to name the political parties, you’ll probably get “Democrat and Republican” as an answer. What most people fail to realize is that there are more than just two parties. While it’s true that the same two parties have dominated American politics for years, that doesn’t necessarily mean a “third party” can’t win.
A third party is any political party that isn’t Democrat or Republican. In America, we have three major third parties: Libertarian, Green and Constitution. Just like the Democrats and Republicans, each party nominates a candidate to run for president.
Before I introduce you to the candidates from each party, I’ll first explain why third parties matter. In a typical election, third parties are essential to guaranteeing that the two dominant parties don’t get too comfortable. This means that Democrats and Republicans still have to work for the American vote, always in fear that a new party will take their place.
In theory, third parties have always done their job well; however, the American voters have failed them. Voters who have allowed Democrats and Republicans to get comfortable by only focusing on those two parties have halted third parties from doing their job.
It’s not entirely the fault of the voters, though. The reason the voters become so stuck on the two-party system is because the politicians and the media have brainwashed the American people into believing that only two parties matter.
Too often, you’ll hear things like, “A third party vote is a wasted vote” or “Voting third party is the same as voting for Trump/Clinton.” These sayings are only a desperate attempt to scare voters away from third parties.
Here’s how it works: Donald Trump knows that his voters don’t necessarily like him, but that the only person they dislike more is Hillary Clinton. As long as Trump focuses on being “the lesser of two evils,” voters will choose him over Hillary in November. Naturally, Hillary Clinton is using the same strategy with her voters.
Both candidates know that if a decent third party candidate were brought into the public eye, their poll numbers would suffer. So, they attempt to scare voters into choosing between only the top two candidates. As always, the public falls into this trap.
If we can sway away from two-party politics, it’s easy to see that there are much better options in this year’s election. Without further ado, here are those options:
Representing the Libertarian party, we have former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson. Before starting a career in politics, Johnson was a successful businessman who started his mechanical contracting business from scratch, eventually turning it into a multi-million dollar company. Johnson is the only candidate, aside from Clinton or Trump, who will be on the ballot in all 50 states this year.
From the Green party, Jill Stein is a medical doctor and political activist. Stein’s worries about public health in relation to their environment prompted her to run twice for Governor of Massachusetts, though she lost both times. Stein has polled well with former Bernie Sanders supporters.
The Constitution party has nominated Darrell Castle. Castle has a military background, though he went into law after retiring. He comes from a strong religious background and believes the Constitution should be followed to the letter.
In an election dominated by a corrupt, lying politician and an arrogant, ignorant reality star, it’s important that voters are informed of their other options. Third parties may be considered underdogs by most standards, but that doesn’t stop them from being viable candidates.
After all, who doesn’t love a good underdog?

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    ElainaAug 22, 2016 at 10:11 am

    You forgot the Constitution Party which is on the ballot in 22 States so far. Darrell Castle for prez and Scott Bradley for VP. http://Www.constitutionparty.com

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