A couple weeks ago, I wrote why I’m not voting for Donald Trump. The big question that evokes is: who AM I voting for then?
I’ve decided to vote for Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for President. Here’s why:
As I explained in that previous post, Hillary Clinton will win Minnesota. It doesn’t matter who I vote for, she will win Minnesota. In the past, I’ve cast protest votes for Constitution Party candidates. Since they best represent me, they were the natural choice. However, I’ve been convinced that another strategy might be better for Minnesota.
You see, here in Minnesota, if a minor party’s candidate receives 5% of the vote, they are given major party status for subsequent elections. I don’t recall for how long, but it seems to be about ten years. In the past, this has hurt the Republicans a lot. Jesse Ventura won the Governor’s race in 1998 running as the Independence Party candidate. This gave the Independence Party major party status for years after that. They got a slot in debates, they got state matching funds, and all of the other privileges that come with major party status. Since the Independence Party tends to be fiscally more Conservative (more-so than the Democrats at least), they have done a lot to siphon off support of Republicans in subsequent races, and help the Democrats enjoy an easier path to victory.
So, being a much more Leftist party, I’d like to return the favor by doing my part to help the Green Party achieve major party status in Minnesota. My hope is that she’ll get to 5% in Minnesota next week, and the Green Party can then help siphon votes away from the Democrats in the next governor’s race in two years.
It’s really a vote to add chaos to the Democrat campaign in the next statewide election.