By Austin King
In the 2000 presidential election, The Green Party, being represented by Ralph Nader, received 2.73 percent of the vote, enough that had the votes gone to either Al Gore, or George W. Bush, it would have solidified their victory and required no Supreme Court intervention.
So, why did so many Americans vote for a party that never had a chance?
The political system in the United States has been shaped to only allow Republicans or Democrats to have control of the three branches of government, but voters continue to cast ballots that, even objectively, can only be viewed as worthless.
In 2004, nearly half a million Americans voted for the independent Ralph Nader. He garnered a little over 1 percent of the vote and never had a chance. This is the definition of a system that is failing us.
Our political system hinges on the belief that we all have a voice during an election and that the people have all the power, but do we?
Third-party candidates shouldn’t be a sideshow. Just because the two political parties have history on their side doesn’t mean they are the only real options. If Ralph Nader wanted to make a difference in this country, he should fight to change the system to give candidates like him a chance.
With two major parties dominating the political landscape, many third parties form as an idea party. They have strong beliefs on a specific issue until one of the major parties adopts their beliefs and the party dissolves. This is one of the reasons that until the system is overhauled, our elections will continue to be dominated by voting for the “lesser of two evils.”
No vote during any election should be wasted, and the political system shouldn’t be designed in a way that allows that to happen.