Worse, third-party candidates are actively counterproductive. Here is the classic short video explaining how first-past-the-post voting systems inevitably lead to a two-party state.
Question, here in Canada we also have an awful FPTP system from the top down, yet, we’re a multi party system.
Sure, Liberals and conservatives dominate the Parliament but the Bloc and NDP keep them in check. Hell, even the the few little Green seats can make or break a vote sometimes.
How come these never happen in the US? You had and currently have independent candidates in the senate.
How come more independents or minor party members don’t get voted in? Maybe in the form of someone whose popular locally and well know by the community.
The political history of Canada is just flipping back and forth between the Liberal Party and Conservative party (with the name of the Conservative party switching now and then). I consider it very weakly “multi-party,” IMO the third parties act as spoilers more often than they act as a “check” on government. The main thing that’s keeping third parties around is that minority governments aren’t completely ineffectual. I’d rather see coalition governments like those common in Europe, though.
We all know about the evils of first past the post here, but voting blue doesn’t. Fucking. Work.
Didn’t say it did work. I’m not presenting a solution here, I’m not the messiah.
For a problem like what the US currently has, IMO they’re kind of past the point where voting alone is going to solve it. They needed to change their voting system before an authoritarian despot took control. Hopefully they’ll remember this when trying to piece some sort of new government back together once he’s gone.
The thing that works the least is shitting in the pool, which is what voting third party is.
Voting alone was never going to work. Organize then we can talk about whether voting third party makes sense or not.
