Don't Waste Your Vote

I've been told that if I don't vote for one of the two "major party" candidates, I am wasting my vote because there is no possible way a third party candidate can win. This is simply not true. Any candidate running for president can win as long as he/ she gets enough electoral votes. Right now, according to the Green Papers, there are seven presidential candidates with the potential to receive the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. Below, I have listed the seven candidates, what parties they are (predominanatly) affiliated with, and how many electoral votes they have the potential of winning. I have provided links to the campaign and party websites when I could. Please evaluate your own values in what you would like to see in a president, read the Constitution to see what qualifications a presidential candidate must have (and what the role of the president is to make sure that the candidates understand the job description), and then research the candidates below to determine who you believe would be the best leader of the executive branch of the U.S. government. Then, and dare I say only then, go vote.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order (by last name of the individual leading the ticket), ladies first.

Cynthia McKinney/ Rosa Clemente - Green Party - 528

Chuck Baldwin/ Darrell L. Castle - Constitution Party - 513

Bob Barr/ Wayne E. Root - Libertarian Party - 527

John McCain/ Sarah Palin - Republican Party - 538

Frank Moore/ Susan Block - Independent - 270

Ralph Nader/ Gonzalez - Independent - 531

Barack Obama/ Joseph Biden - Democratic Party - 538

Not all candidates (except McCain and Obama) are listed on the ballots of every state or are eligible as write-ins in every state (yes, you have to be "certified" as a write-in candidate in most states). The Green Papers has lists of candidates by state. Please check your state's rules for write-in candidates before attempting to write a candidate in, for any office, on your ballot. In some states, like Oklahoma and Mississippi, write-ins are not allowed, and I have read somewhere that attempting to write-in a candidate in Oklahoma invalidades your entire ballot, but I have been unable to confirm this. (If anyone can confirm or deny this, please let me know, and I will update the information here.)