Who Will You Vote For? Poll Results for Americans and Non-Americans

[russ_watters]

I think we've had this poll before, but for the day before the election, we should have it again. The poll is structured to separate but include both Americans and non-Americans. The poll for Americans can include people eligible to vote and not eligible to vote, such as those who are not registered, not old enough, and felons. Not Americans would include citizens of other countries, including, for example, an Australian who has lived in the US for decades but is not a citizen.

Poll results are visible.

 

[Charmar]

I'm not voting for Obama but if I thought my state was going to be close I would.

 

[russ_watters]

I'm not voting for Obama but if I thought my state was going to be close I would.

Do you mean you aren't voting or that you're voting for a 3rd party candidate?

 

[Charmar]

Do you mean you aren't voting or that you're voting for a 3rd party candidate?

I am voting for a 3rd party.

 

[Pythagorean]

I'm still not sure whether I'm going to vote 3rd party or Obama or not at all. But of the two choices, it would be Obama.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I'm leaning towards voting 3rd party.

 

[daveb]

I'm going to write in Gingrich/Palin and hope for the coming Mayan apocalypse.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

If I were American I'd want to vote 3rd party but for most places that's pretty much a wasted vote so I'd have to vote Obama. The US seems to be a good example of Duverger's law.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

If I were American I'd want to vote 3rd party but for most places that's pretty much a wasted vote so I'd have to vote Obama.

You have a 1 in 10 million chance your vote makes any difference anyway. Voting for the lesser of two evils makes me sick. That shouldn't be what voting is about.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/1...ur-vote-for-obama-or-romney-would-even-matter

 

[tahayassen]

In the future, I wonder if they will edit the system for conditional votes. i.e. vote for one party in the case that another party does not win.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

You have a 1 in 10 million chance your vote makes any difference anyway. Voting for the lesser of two evils makes me sick. That shouldn't be what voting is about.

I totally agree that it shouldn't be and it makes me sick too (my own country really isn't that much better, it has a third significant party but aside from coalitions [two out of three formed due to war] it's always one of two) but I can't vote on principle when I know it's worth nothing. I'd rather stick with tactical voting to keep out the worst parties and jump on voting reform when it comes.

In the future, I wonder if they will edit the system for conditional votes. i.e. vote for one party in the case that another party does not win.

You mean a form of IRV? I'd take that over FPTP

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I didn't see any third party candidates that I like. I'm considering fourth party candidates now.

 

[Pythagorean]

Pros/cons of voting third party anybody?

Pro: they get more clout, more people to challenge deficiencies that the Republocrat wouldn't bring up.

Con: Throw away as far as election is concerned. Also, still not sure whether I should go Lib or Green.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Throw away as far as election is concerned.

Which is worse? To vote for someone you hope will win and see them lose, or to vote for someone you hope will lose and see them win?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Pros/cons of voting third party anybody?

Pro: they get more clout, more people to challenge deficiencies that the Republocrat wouldn't bring up.

Con: Throw away as far as election is concerned. Also, still not sure whether I should go Lib or Green.

Is a presidential election the right place for a third party vote? Would it be better served to vote for them at a more local level in order to build up support?

 

[Pythagorean]

Presidential votes, I understood, give them some power despite not winning; but this is hearsay, I've never actually looked into the policies and rules.

There's nothing locally that I know for green here, just lib.

 

[Pythagorean]

Anyway, I think political diversity is more important than anyone candidate winning.

 

[BobG]

Pros/cons of voting third party anybody?

Pro: they get more clout, more people to challenge deficiencies that the Republocrat wouldn't bring up.

Con: Throw away as far as election is concerned. Also, still not sure whether I should go Lib or Green.

Being willing to sacrifice a close election by voting 3rd party is the only way the far right and far left can make the mainstreamers in their party pay attention to them.

At least, that was true before the far right took over the Republican Party. But it's not usually as hard for moderates to defect all the way to the other major party, giving them even more power.

 

[Mentalist]

Obama. Voting for a third party is a bit ridiculous now. I was initially going to vote for Jill Stein, but that would be a waste of time and vote considering she has practically no chance at winning, so Obama will get my vote.

 

[drizzle]

I'm interested to know the opinion of that Australian who has lived in the US for decades but is not a citizen.

 

[seaofghosts]

If I lived in a totally red/blue state, I would vote third party, but Nevada typically waffles (with a slight Dem leaning because Vegas/Clark County is blue and has the highest population), so I voted for Obama to help him get the state.

I won't freak out if Romney gets it, since the president really doesn't have THAT much power anyway (aside from veto, which is annoying more than anything), but I won't be happy, either.

 

[Pythagorean]

Being willing to sacrifice a close election by voting 3rd party is the only way the far right and far left can make the mainstreamers in their party pay attention to them.

At least, that was true before the far right took over the Republican Party. But it's not usually as hard for moderates to defect all the way to the other major party, giving them even more power.

I just think having diversity is important. The idea of left/right are just becoming tools of rhetoric to me. I think libs/green could potentially challenge topics that reps/dems don't confront since they both take advantage of them.

 

[rootX]

Knowing that Romney is business man who has less tolerance for dying companies and experience in bringing efficiency to the companies, I will vote for Romney.

 

[russ_watters]

FYI, I purposely left off 3rd party candidates/options for this poll because there are no major 3rd party candidates in this election. So voting for 3rd party candidates here would be highly unusual.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Obama. Voting for a third party is a bit ridiculous now. I was initially going to vote for Jill Stein, but that would be a waste of time and vote considering she has practically no chance at winning, so Obama will get my vote.

I'd say voting for someone you don't really like is a waste of time. Do you think your one single vote has virtually any impact?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I'd say voting for someone you don't really like is a waste of time. Do you think your one single vote has virtually any impact?

Seems like a varient of the tragedy of the commons. One person voting on principle for a candidate that has no chance of winning might not matter but if enough people adopt that idea and think "it's just one vote" you can end up with a spoiler effect.

 

[Charmar]

FYI, I purposely left off 3rd party candidates/options for this poll because there are no major 3rd party candidates in this election. So voting for 3rd party candidates here would be highly unusual.

It might not matter a ton, but I would hardly say it would be unusual. A couple people here, in the small number of people that responded, said they would be willing to, or at least considered voting for 3rd party.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

It might not matter a ton, but I would hardly say it would be unusual. A couple people here, in the small number of people that responded, said they would be willing to, or at least considered voting for 3rd party.

It could be important for American politics for Gary Johnson it hit 5% and become a legitimate third party next election.

 

[TheMadMonk]

Not an American, I'd vote for Romney. The fringes of the Republican party are all we ever get presented with in the UK, I was surprised to find out that Romney is far more moderate than I first thought.

 

[Jack21222]

Is a presidential election the right place for a third party vote? Would it be better served to vote for them at a more local level in order to build up support?

In most of this country, presidential votes are wasted anyway. If I were to vote today, it literally wouldn't matter at all who I voted for for president. Massachusetts is going to Obama by a huge margin. So, why would I waste my vote on Obama when I could give a third party some clout?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

In most of this country, presidential votes are wasted anyway. If I were to vote today, it literally wouldn't matter at all who I voted for for president. Massachusetts is going to Obama by a huge margin. So, why would I waste my vote on Obama when I could give a third party some clout?

If it is so certain then my criticism in post 26 is less likely to apply, if it is certain. Don't get me wrong I would love it if more modern democracies actually used systems that would allow people to vote for who they want and know that their vote will matter just as much as anyone else's. It's a travesty that many rely on systems that IMO at best give a tainted version of democratic process.

 

[nitsuj]

I'm going to write in Gingrich/Palin and hope for the coming Mayan apocalypse.

Along similar reasoning but more reasonable, I'd vote Romney for more significant news stories.

 

[BobG]

I voted for one independent candidate (for House Rep).

Aside from President, there were no Democratic candidates on the ballot where I live (Colorado Springs) - just Republicans and third party candidates.