The way first-past-the-post elections work makes this pretty much inevitable.
Let’s look at 3 scenarios:
Scenario 1:
Tester (D) 1001 votes
Sheehey (R) 1000 votes
Green Party: 0 votes
Tester wins
Scenario 2:
Tester (D) 1000 votes
Sheehey (R) 1000 votes
Green Party: 1 vote
Tie between Tester and Sheehey, forcing a special election (Montana rules; other states use games of chance)
Scenario 3:
Tester (D) 999 votes
Sheehey (R) 1000 votes
Green Party: 2 votes
Sheehey wins
This means that voting for a minor third party instead of the Democrat actively harms the ability to elect somebody who is better-aligned with your views.
Vote your heart in the primary. Vote strategically in the general.
You were shown a simple demonstration of the Spoiler Effect, which may cause Republicans to win the race if a third party manages to draw votes away from Democrats.
You’re still endorsing voting third party, saying you don’t care.
You’re endorsing helping Republicans.
What the other poster is implying isn’t that Republicans may vote Green. On the contrary, it’s that Democrats may vote Green and split their vote, while Republicans will stand united.
At the end of the day, when the votes are counted, your ideology doesn’t matter. Why you voted the way you did doesn’t matter. What matters is who wins the election, and if you’re consciously proposing an election strategy that may aid the Republicans, you’re contributing to their chances of victory.
And if you’re helping Republicans, don’t be surprised if people call you a Republican.
Blaming third-party voters for a potential Republican victory is totally misguided. Lemmy has been crying about this in every post that is about third parties.
If Democrats are so worried about the spoiler effect, they should focus on putting forward stronger candidates who can unite their base.
Voting third-party is not an endorsement of Republicans; it’s a demand for better representation and a push for real change.
If the Dem Party fails to inspire its voters, the fault lies with their candidates. Blame them, not the people who choose to vote their conscience.
The point is that this isn’t just about conscientious voting. There is a strategic element to it. That’s the unfortunate reality, and standing on principles alone won’t change it.
Support efforts to abolish the FPTP system to replace it with something like RCV, where you could then in good conscience vote Green first and Dem second. Support efforts at proportional representation to have Green members in the Houses. Support anything thay breaks up the two-party monopoly so that voting for a candidate who truly represents your values no longer becomes a political gamble.
But if you’re saying “I’d rather split the left-wing votes and risk a Trump victory than vote for Harris”, people will rightly call you a Republican muppet, because you’d essentially prefer Trump over Harris.
There’s a bit of a history of the Republicans in Montana funding the Green Party to serve as spoilers.
The way first-past-the-post elections work makes this pretty much inevitable.
Let’s look at 3 scenarios:
Scenario 1:
Tester wins
Scenario 2:
Tie between Tester and Sheehey, forcing a special election (Montana rules; other states use games of chance)
Scenario 3:
Sheehey wins
This means that voting for a minor third party instead of the Democrat actively harms the ability to elect somebody who is better-aligned with your views.
Vote your heart in the primary. Vote strategically in the general.
None of that matters to me. I’m still voting green this election.
Exactly what a Republican would say.
I don’t really know much about that.
For me personally, if I were Republican, I’d say so. And probably vote Trump. But I’m not either of those things.
So were you implying that I personally am a Republican, or just that some republicans may vote Green Party?
You do realize that the majority of my postings are for socialism causes, right? https://lemmy.world/c/socialist
Looks like a Republican engaged in cosplay
Nah, you know if someone wants to be a Republican, they can just be Republican, right? No need to cosplay.
There’s a lot of stuff exactly like what you do designed to trick people into doing things that benefit Republicans
I have every right to share news and opinions about third parties, just as you have the right to share your views.
Disagreeing with my posts doesn’t mean I’m part of some grand conspiracy; it simply means we have different perspectives.
In a democracy, diverse viewpoints are essential to healthy debate, not something to be feared or dismissed.
Exactly the argument a Republican would make
You were shown a simple demonstration of the Spoiler Effect, which may cause Republicans to win the race if a third party manages to draw votes away from Democrats.
You’re still endorsing voting third party, saying you don’t care.
You’re endorsing helping Republicans.
What the other poster is implying isn’t that Republicans may vote Green. On the contrary, it’s that Democrats may vote Green and split their vote, while Republicans will stand united.
At the end of the day, when the votes are counted, your ideology doesn’t matter. Why you voted the way you did doesn’t matter. What matters is who wins the election, and if you’re consciously proposing an election strategy that may aid the Republicans, you’re contributing to their chances of victory.
And if you’re helping Republicans, don’t be surprised if people call you a Republican.
Blaming third-party voters for a potential Republican victory is totally misguided. Lemmy has been crying about this in every post that is about third parties.
If Democrats are so worried about the spoiler effect, they should focus on putting forward stronger candidates who can unite their base.
Voting third-party is not an endorsement of Republicans; it’s a demand for better representation and a push for real change.
If the Dem Party fails to inspire its voters, the fault lies with their candidates. Blame them, not the people who choose to vote their conscience.
So you’d rather have a Republican victory than a mediocre Democrat?
I’d rather vote for a candidate who truly represents my values than settle for mediocrity just to avoid a Republican win.
Accepting “mediocre” candidates only perpetuates a cycle of compromise without real progress.
That’s a yes then.
The point is that this isn’t just about conscientious voting. There is a strategic element to it. That’s the unfortunate reality, and standing on principles alone won’t change it.
Support efforts to abolish the FPTP system to replace it with something like RCV, where you could then in good conscience vote Green first and Dem second. Support efforts at proportional representation to have Green members in the Houses. Support anything thay breaks up the two-party monopoly so that voting for a candidate who truly represents your values no longer becomes a political gamble.
But if you’re saying “I’d rather split the left-wing votes and risk a Trump victory than vote for Harris”, people will rightly call you a Republican muppet, because you’d essentially prefer Trump over Harris.