Don’t Waste Your Vote on a Third-Party Candidate

We’re less than a month from the 2024 presidential election, which means it’s time to talk about effective voting strategies. 

Today, I would like to ask you — regardless of your political party — please do not vote for a third-party candidate. 

Yes, the two-party system is deeply flawed. It forces candidates to conduct campaigns fueled by vote-seeking strategies rather than tangible ideals and policy. It often leaves voters stuck between a rock and hard place. But let’s make something clear: When you vote for a third-party candidate, you are not strategically rebelling against the two-party system, nor are you casting a vote for the issues that you care about. Instead, you’re falling victim to an illusion of civic duty.

To explain, let’s talk about how the electoral college works. Electoral votes are distributed on a winner-take-all basis within each state, with the exception of Nebraska and Maine. This means that in order for a third-party candidate to win any electoral votes, they need to win the popular vote within at least one state. 

Since 1912, third-party candidates have only won 186 electoral votes, according to 270 to Win — a self-proclaimed nonpartisan organization that offers interactive voting maps. For reference, there have been roughly 15,993 total electoral votes cast since 1912. The last time electoral votes were actually won by a third-party candidate was in 1968, when George Wallace won 46, a measly 8% of the electoral vote — he won 14% of the popular vote. 

History is our best teacher here. Third-party candidates, even the popular ones, will not get enough electoral votes to win, ever.

It’s important to note that voting for a third-party candidate is not a motion of neutrality. In 2020, despite Joe Biden’s victory, Donald Trump actually had more popular votes than he did when he won the election in 2016, according to 270 to Win. Biden’s 2020 victory came from a decrease in popular votes for third-party candidates, which tipped the election in his favor. So, yes, voting for third-party candidates will change the outcome of elections — in the sense that it can determine which major party candidate will win. 

Political Science Professor Susan Mueller-Redwood explained that the U.S electoral system was set up to be a two-party system. “The majority wins. It is not a proportional system like some other countries in Europe, for example, where you can have parties get really small percentages [of the vote] and they can still end up having a seat in the legislature. So if you really want your vote to count towards the election, then you should vote for one of the two parties, because that’s where it has the highest chance of actually making a difference.”

She also acknowledged that there could be lots of reasons to vote third-party, including political convictions and preference for certain policies, but said that people should be aware of what the effect of voting for a third-party will be.

 “I think people should be pretty clear that in a two-party system, a third party isn’t going to win, so you should have a good reason,” she said.

Maybe you don’t like either option. Perhaps you think you might as well show some support for that third-party candidate you do like, even though you understand they won’t win. You’re going to think of your third-party vote as a symbolic gesture against the two-party system — a protest of sorts. 

Please don’t do this. A protest, by definition, is a public demonstration of objection that can gain traction as it gains support. A protest should lead to change and as we already discussed, nothing about the two-party system is going to change in the 2024 election. Your protest vote does not change the fact that either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be the next president of the U.S. 

Instead of protesting a deeply flawed electoral system, suck it up and vote for the candidate you despise the least. After the election, you can then channel all that protest energy into civil action — maybe even work on some rank-choice voting initiatives.

While the problems with the nature of our two-party system should certainly be addressed in American politics, now is not the time to do so. There’s no need to be strategic or sneaky here. Rather than tipping the election through third-party votes, just vote for the major party candidate that you preferred from the get-go. Let’s vote wisely;  there’s a lot at stake.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 5. For information on where to vote or to confirm your voter registration status, check https://prodvoterportal.mt.gov/WhereToVote.aspx.