Is Voting For A Third Party Candidate Throwing Your Vote Away?

The United States is unique in it's two-party political system. Anywhere else in the world, voters are not faced with such polar opposite choices in their elections. Instead they deal with a diversity of opinion that creates a more complicated dialogue around issues. Not in America. Alternatively, we have a racist bigot and a woman with an email problem. But is voting for a third party actually throwing your vote away?

The short answer is yes, but the long answer is, well, not really. A vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein honestly might seem like throwing a vote away, but looking at Canada actually shows otherwise.

Question Time investigates the political system of Canada by paying particular attention to the New Democratic Party. This third party that exists outside Canada's typical two-party system has never been in full control of the government. However, thanks to many votes being cast for this third party, the other two parties were forced to adopt more liberal policies that aligned with the ideals of these third-party voters.

Essentially, a third-party vote is definitely a protest vote. It won't really affect the outcome of the election, but it could inspire a conversation about political diversity in America. Somehow, that's all we can hope for.

So yes, it is throwing your vote away but it's throwing it away for a cause. While this may seem like a great idea, this probably isn't the right election for it. Things are too close and it's time to take Trump down.