[nescioquid]

> a two-party system creates the divide because it encourages such a powerful "us vs them" feeling

I agree, but that's just the punch-and-judy show. The real disaffection stems from seeing how the incentives of politicians are reliably not aligned with their nominal constituents.

We have legal precedent establishing money as speech, and a steep hill to climb for any third party to win the prerogatives which the two major US parties enjoy, like automatically getting your candidate on the ballot in all 50 states in federal elections.

I decided some time ago to never cast a vote for either of these two parties again. Even speaking with people who decry the bankrupt nature of these parties, they still view casting a vote for a third party as throwing their vote away.

[durbleflorp]

Personally, I agree both parties are severely problematic, don't feel they're equally problematic.

I vote for third party candidates with policy I actually agree with when it isn't going to negatively affect me or others when they inevitably lose.

The sad reality is that FPTP makes strategic voting necessary if you want to have any kind of power. In addition to the issues you mentioned we need score or ranked choice voting so we can begin a transition towards actual accountibility, and hopefully eventually a more diverse set of parties.

Voting for a third party candidate is effectively throwing your vote away in a protest no one will ever hear in a FPTP system.

[nescioquid]

> Voting for a third party candidate is effectively throwing your vote away in a protest no one will ever hear in a FPTP system.

Voting for a 3rd party is not a de facto protest vote, nor is it throwing it away in any case. What power do you get for voting for a party not aligned with your interests? If a third party should achieve a 5% vote, they are eligible for federal funds and would have a big impact on ballot access nationally.

That may not be very persuasive to you (based on conversations I've had with others who felt similarly), but I no longer need regret voting strategically (which actually feels like throwing my vote away).

[durbleflorp]

I actually voted for a third party candidate in 2020 because I knew I could do it without supporting Trump and didn't feel either candidate represented my views.

I was only able to do that because I knew my vote wouldn't ultimately matter in my state's contest though.

In score or ranked choice voting I could both articulate my actual preference in a way that was publicly visible and still make the strategic vote(s) I needed to get the least bad of likely options.

FPTP is one of the least expressive voting systems you could have, and it is objectively terrible for third parties. This isn't a controversial opinion, it's what that vast majority of political scientists agree with.

Third parties are irrelevant in American politics and will continue to be unless we change our voting system (and campaign finance).

[anigbrowl]

Unless you are in a jurisdiction which offers ranked choice voting, then this is equivalent to throwing your vote away and then being surprised when nobody wants it. Also, and orthogonally, eliding the distinctions between the two main parties over a systemic issue that arises out of the constitutional structure means that a party can be incentivized to discourage you from voting by pandering to your dissatisfaction using sockpuppets.