Consider Voting Third Party

There are several reasons why I am considering voting third party. People have told me not to waste my vote, but I feel like a third party vote might be a good choice for me.

First I will address the wasted vote argument.

• In my opinion, a conscience vote is not a wasted vote. When I have brought up the fact that I am considering voting third party, most people tell me not to waste my vote. How am I wasting my vote if I am casting it for the person who I feel is most in step with my ideals? If anything I feel that I am actually making my vote count.
• In the primaries I voted for Mike Huckabee. I voted my conscience. I felt that he would be the best candidate for the Republican Party, which is the party within which I typically vote. North Dakota went to Mitt Romney. The Republican endorsement went to John McCain. Did I waste my vote? I don't think so.
• Since a third party candidate is such a long shot, it is said that I would be better suited simply to vote along party lines and make sure that the other party doesn't assume office. But, as this video points out, "The greatest power the people have is their vote and in supporting the lesser of two evils each election voters ensure eternal evil." To me, both of the main party candidates represent incorrect policy. Why would I not vote for the policy that I agree with?

• Voting third party is ideal; however, voting in this country was not conceived by realists, but by idealists. A realistic vote is a safe vote; an idealistic vote is not willing to settle for "good enough" or the "lesser of two evils."

So why do I think that voting third party would be a good choice for me?

• I am not a proponent of big government. Government is not the answer for most of the issues that we face in this country. The main party candidates do not understand this. Small government has been a staple of the Republican Party for a long, long time. When did the party lose that concept? John McCain definitely does not seem to want to reduce government. For example, his idea of fixing a mortgage crisis is having the government buy up mortgages. Barack Obama seemed to be heading the right direction when he claimed that he supported the expansion of faith-based organizations as a means to fight poverty. But now it would seem that his "spread the wealth around" concept has overtaken that idea. Those are both big government solutions. Voting third party would not promote big government.
  
• The Constitution is a good document. In fact it is the document. Why have the main parties abandoned it? They don't seem to care what it says or why it's important. Voting third party would ensure that the document written as guidelines for this country would at least be attempted to be adhered to.
• Voting third party would allow me to choose more issues that I agree with: abortion, government spending, taxation, gun control, health care, immigration, and the list goes on. Why would I be willing to settle for "close enough" with a main party candidate when I can say "right on" with a third party candidate?
• Third party candidates are serious about their platform. A flippant platform waivers to get votes. A serious platform is unwavering despite how many votes it will receive. That's conviction I can respect.

So, which third party candidate would I vote for? After weighing the options I would cast myvote for Chuck Baldwin. Of course I have not entirely made up my mind yet even if I am going to vote third party, but if I do, it will be Baldwin. I agree with him on almost everything except foreign policy which I only partially disagree with him on. He was endorsed by Ron Paul, who, if it weren't for Mike Huckabee, I probably would have voted for in the primaries.

Like I said, I don't know what I am going to do yet. But I am considering voting third party. And I think that third party candidates deserve more consideration.