NOTE: This only at this current stage, applies to federal level elections(barring a very strong Green party or progressive independent downballot candiate). I noticed how the Bernie Sanders campaign has spurred Berniecrats like him to run for office. As a result, my belief is that in downballot initiatives, they should support Berniecrats running for office against establishiment democrats, establishiment Republicans, and alt-rightists. However, progressives should vote for Stein on the federal level and from there, work to ensure that states allow for more alternatives on local elections.
The 2016 election is shaping up to be easily the most unpopular election in American history. Both Trump and Clinton net unavailability ratings on a massive scale. Both candidates are viewed to be not only unlikable, but also untrustworthy. Under these conditions, it is time to consider the importance of third parties and how they may prevent American democracy from being dominated by "the candiate" the populace hate the least and the rule of "voting the lesser evil" to prevent the greater evil from emerging.
Some say that it is impossible for third parties to make a dent on America, that all they would do is split the vote and allow the greater evil to win. While some may argue that from a right-wing libertarian or moderate prespective, building a third party has a good chance of bearing fruit this election, it seems to be harder to justify progressives building the Green Party in the wake of Gary Johnson's growing chances electoral success that Jill Stein and the Green Party does not seem to share. This blog entry will discuss some of the reasons to vote Third Party, framing it in the context of the Green Party's struggle for electoral breakthroughs. It ultimately argues that in an election with the most derided candidates, 2016 offers the best opportunity to start building an alternative to the two party system.
