Being a Third Party College Student

By Elena Novak on October 8, 2013

Third-party candidates can’t seem to catch a break. No third-party presidential candidate has ever been elected to the presidency, and during election season they are absent from the presidential debates and from election coverage by major news networks.

The reason for their nonsuccess can be attributed to the lack of coverage by the media in addition to a lack of adequate funding for a competitive advantage and a lack of name recognition, according to an opinion article on Amarillo Globe-News.

However, there is growing frustration among citizens with the dominant political parties. The article also states in quoting Libertarian Kathie Glass, “The partial shutdown of the federal government is the latest reminder of the public’s growing dissatisfaction not only with Congress, but with the two-party system.”

At Florida State University, students who are independent or third-party voters are not uncomfortable expressing their decision to reside outside the dominant lines.

Alan Brooks, recent FSU graduate and active member of the Libertarian Party, said he chose his position in order to help bring a new voice to the table. From his perspective, the two major parties seem too similar: “Take the current debt debate for example. Democrats want to increase the debt ceiling and increase spending. Republicans also want to increase the debt ceiling and spending, but not quite as much as Democrats, and they don’t like ‘Obamacare.’ The problem is that neither side is saying, ‘what if we stopped deficit spending entirely and paid off our debts?’” he said.

He went on, “The same thing happens in nearly every debate today at every level of government. It’s about time we had a few voices in there suggesting that maybe passing new legislation isn’t the answer to everything and that maybe the government shouldn’t try to regulate every aspect of life, commerce, and nature. Even if it is a minority voice, it might help temper the rhetoric a bit.”

Photo by Ted Van Pelt on Flickr.

Because third-party candidates are far less likely to win, many people are afraid to ‘throw their vote away’ on a near-guaranteed loser. Brooks likens this idea to horse racing.

“Unlike horse racing, you don’t get a prize for betting on a ‘winner’ in politics,” he said. “The reward in politics comes from choosing the person who will do the best job running the government.”

Jacob McLeod, a student in FSU’s Political Science department, voiced a similar sentiment.

“I value my vote most as an expression of my opinion, so I might as well cast it in favor of the candidate I most agree with,” he said.

He also believes a vote for a third-party candidate is not a toss-away: “At the margin, a third party vote is likely to be more influential; a one percent increase in votes for a third party candidate is probably of greater concern to the political establishment than a similar increase in favor of a mainstream candidate. Mainstream politicians will catch on to these trends and try to recapture some of those votes,” he said.

Justin Immerman is an FSU student who votes for one of the dominant parties during elections but considers himself an Independent, informing himself before voting for whichever candidate he most agrees with.

“At the end of the day it comes down to letting your voice be heard,” he said. “Voting is not so much about the result of the election but more about feeling as if you personally participated in one way or another. The matter of who you vote for should not be confused with the outcome of the election.”

Going against the status quo can often lead to feeling ostracized by the community, but Brooks said he has never felt the dominant political community pushing back against him.

Photo by Denise Cross Photography on Flickr.

“I’ve never felt actively ostracized for my political views. As a Libertarian, there is enough common ground with both parties that it’s possible to fit in with members of either major group,” he said. “Most of the shunning happens to the candidates themselves and it’s less overt and more about the way campaign laws, voting laws, and debate rules are written. A lot of these are designed to discriminate against third party candidates.”

McLeod feels no one is safe from being ostracized in politics: “Some people certainly take you less seriously, but you’ll be ostracized by at least half of the political community no matter what,” he said.

Immerman too feels judgment-free but also feels it shouldn’t affect one’s vote either way.

“I think it is important to vote with conviction and really believe that your vote matters regardless of the result of an election,” he said. “Even if my choice of candidate loses, I still feel content with myself knowing that I participated and let my voice be heard.”

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format