[white-flame]

Right. Everybody asks if they can vote "None of the above". That's exactly the message that a 3rd party vote sends. People need to go out and have their objection counted, instead of just bemoaning the major candidates and staying home or voting for one of them.

While the two-party side effect of our voting system will likely ensure that a Dem or Rep will get in again, boosting the third parties just to hit magic 5%, 10%, 15% tiers will actually be the best use of a vote to try to change the political landscape going forward. There would be access to more funding, media, debates, and DC facilities for the 3rd parties. The 3rd parties also need to push for election process reform, to get rid of the 2-party effect. Some localities are already testing the waters in more progressive voting schemes.

This is all especially true if you're not in a swing state. If your state is already blue or red, another blue or red vote is a 100% wasted vote. Remember, you're not voting for the president; you're voting for who your state is going to vote for president. If that's already decided by a large mass of card-carrying party line voters, or by extreme public sway, that determination has already been made. Use your vote elsewhere.

We need creative destruction in the political process, and deconstructing or at least challenging the incumbent parties is the only civilized option I see. Too many people throw their hands up at Dem vs Rep, and think the only way to change that is violent revolution.