What is the Best Way to Vote When You Don't Identify With Any Party?

[Siebenbürgerin]

Peoples here have differing views about how to vote when we don't identify with any of the parties eligible to run in elections. Some vote blank, some vote for the lesser evil, some vote for the opposition party of the worst evil which has the most chances to win, and some don't vote at all.

I've to illustrate some situations and explain the options below:

Vote for the lesser evil. A lesser evil could be a party which is in line with most of your views but differ about some. Like many of the current nationalistic parties in Europe (NPD, FPÖ, PVV, FN and so forth), some for example want immigrants to integrate and remove their specific national characteristics to become part of your country. But that party isn't necessarily a strong party which could win the election.

Vote for the strongest candidate of the opposition. This could be called the enemy of my enemy strategy. You don't go to vote for someone, but against someone. So for example you want to vote out the establishment candidate, so you pick a maybe less compatible candidate in terms of world view, but one who has more popularity and represents the realistic opposition against the people you don't want winning - could be someone like McCain against Obama. If you add a numerical vote it means a double minus for Obama, because if you give it to a smaller candidate who couldn't win it still couldn't damage the primary candidates versus score.

Vote blank or spoil your vote. This could mean you use your voting rights, but you refuse to support anyone who has points against your views. Maybe none of the candidates represent anything you stand for and you have a moral issue with voting for any of them, but you neither want to stay home because you're afraid of corruption and your vote being used anyway. Voting blank could be a strategy against corruption, in a corrupt system, also if you're pressured to vote by your company or social setting. Also voting blank if you want to make a stand, because you believe voting is just a sham and the system doesn't have diversified enough options.

Note: voting blank (or white vote) is a vote when you don't select any candidates by not stamping your paper for example, or for voting "none of the above", if the option exists. This form of voting nulls your vote, but there are political initiatives who want to introduce the option none and have it counted. Spoiling your vote is when for example you vote for all candidates, make your vote unclear, stamp the wrong side of the paper, add your own candidate to the paper, draw or write some personal notes on the paper, etc. More uncommon, extreme forms to spoil a vote include physical destruction of the ballot (for example, throwing it in the trash, ripping it apart or even eating it), but these are possibly illegal and carry penalties. Spoiling the vote is a method used by peoples who are too suspicious of corruption to cast a white vote, like they fear their empty paper will be stamped.

Don't vote. You're maybe disgusted with all candidates and/or the system, you don't want to bother wasting your time and you don't want to vote blank because you'd still be taking part in the elections. Maybe you don't believe in voting or democracy, so you decide to ignore a principle which isn't part of your view. Or maybe you're convinced your voting won't change anything and have better things to do on a Sunday.

Vote for the greater evil. (Added this option also since there are advocates). It seems like the obvious thing not to do, however you believe the establishment is corrupt and/or the parties representing your views aren't strong enough to make gains. So, you give your vote for the establishment, because you think their winning now will make peoples more unhappy in the future and the opposition will grow strong enough to be an electoral threat later. Or maybe because you think the whole system is corrupt and even if the opposition formed government, it would still be bound in many ways. By voting for the establishment and eliminating the opposition, you believe the decadence of the system won't be prolonged.

Other alternative. Maybe an alternative like voting for a parody party, like the APPD was in Germany, voting for who the coin flips in favor of, etc. If I've not covered any alternative, please mention and explain it.

So please vote on do you deal with voting and which do you think is the most realistic and numerically advantageous alternative?

[Gary in TX]

I generally vote for the lesser of two evils.

It's not a great way to vote, but at least it's realistic.

The thing is that over here in the States we're stuck with this two party system where any other third or fourth party candidate doesn't really ever have a chance in hell of winning a race. However if I lived somewhere else (like in Europe) where there were more parties and where people like me might actually be represented then I'd probably vote differently.

The choices here are so bad and for the most part the politicians are such crooks that there's really not much difference to choose between them except on the issues of taxes, illegal immigration, firearms freedom, military intervention in other countries and abortion. So those are generally the issues I look at the most and are somewhat of a litmus test for how I vote.

If voting really changed anything though it would already be illegal, so sometimes I wonder why I bother.

[Siebenbürgerin]

In the European system I'd be voting for the lesser evil. I'm primarily voting for the only German party which represents my group, so I've not many options but when the choice is between others I'm choosing the lesser evil. But in the American elections I'd have voted for McCain because it would have been a minus against Obama and a plus against his principal adversary.

[Hersir]

I vote blank and encourage people to do it too. Most people I know seem to vote for the "lesser evil". Imagine if so many people voted blank that it would be clear that democrazy is a joke Most socalled nationalists here vote for the populist progress party which is pro-USA, pro-Israel, pro-liberalism and capitalism, and want to integrate immigrants. They view islam as the main problem in Europe. People say blank votes are not counted, that is wrong. The blank votes are counted!

[Nachtengel]

I've reached the conclusion it's better to stay at home. I don't recognize the Federal Republic, so why bother? They were talking about making voting compulsory, but I won't be forced to participate in a 'democracy' against my will. So I'd rather pay a fine. And voting for integration parties and neoconservative people like Geert Wilders and his ilk is counterproductive. Once they'll assimilate all immigrants there will be no turning back. They'll mix with native Germanics and unable to be separated from the country anymore.

[InvaderNat]

Tell me about it! There are no parties in NZ that I identify with, so basically I no longer intend to vote at all.

[Hersir]

I've reached the conclusion it's better to stay at home. I don't recognize the Federal Republic, so why bother? They were talking about making voting compulsory, but I won't be forced to participate in a 'democracy' against my will. So I'd rather pay a fine. And voting for integration parties and neoconservative people like Geert Wilders and his ilk is counterproductive. Once they'll assimilate all immigrants there will be no turning back. They'll mix with native Germanics and unable to be separated from the country anymore.

Why dont you vote blank?

Tell me about it! There are no parties in NZ that I identify with, so basically I no longer intend to vote at all.

Vote blank

[Patrioten]

I am torn. Some days I feel like I should vote for the lesser evil whilst other days I feel like it's meaningless. I didn't vote in the EU-election and didn't regret it afterwards. I'll have to wait and see what I feel like doing on the election day this fall. Might give my vote to the Sweden Democrats after all. But then again they are a really lousy alternative for being a lesser evil. I voted for the "vote for the lesser evil" option in the poll, but as you can see I don't practise what I preach.

To say that I am disillusioned about democracy would be an understatement as I consider it to be a system built around leftist corruption and power structures. A system that will not allow for any real alternative to win in any meaningful sense of the word. Getting a couple of front row seats to the legislative treason of our elected officials in our parliament is not something I consider a victory.

Maybe I can be convinced to feel more optimistic in time for the election. As things stand now though I feel like it's a waste of time.

[Renwein]

I think voting for the lesser evil is the worst thing you could do, I would prefer to vote for the greater evil .

In local elections my choices have only been greater evils (libdem, labour, green) or the conservative party. I've always voted Green, at least they care about flowers, animals, plants and nice things . At the next election I might vote Labour. Since Labour came to power, nationalist support has grown tremendously due to the swamping with immigrants and PC-culture which supports everything but the 'natives', and the country is running toward bankrupcy. A system collapse would be a great boost to nationalism (just like last time ) so the perfect reason to vote the greater evil . We should push both these trends until they burst, then people might finally, actually, start to act.

I agree with Todesengel about 'lesser evil' sheep in wolves clothing like Wilders, or other 'Conservatives'. The trend people like this have is to talk tough, but still be 'anti-racist' (this is reflected in that their campaigns merely play on 'anti-islam' feeling for votes, not ethnic issues), or have stomach to turn back the tide, just talk about 'making immigration tougher', which isn't enough today, and causes 'real' nationalism to suffer for support as people become more reassured that 'things will be OK'. The result would be a messy eventual integration, as Todesengel says, and that would mean final death.

In european elections I've always voted for the BNP, which is the biggest nationalist party. If there was another nationalist party which was closer to my views, but very small, I would still vote for the biggest one. I would only advocate voting for a smaller one if it was certain a nationalist party would win the poll anyway.

[SpearBrave]

Most of my friends vote for someone silly like Pee Wee Herman or Charles Manson. Me I would like to vote for the person who most fits my views, but when they get elected they all seem to change.

I do have friend that is a revolutionary and she voted for the illegal alien otherwise known as obama. She believes that he will wreck the country so bad that we will have another revolution, she may be right who knows.