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	Wasted vote - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		An electoral system which reduces the number of wasted votes is considered desirable by some, on grounds of fairness or on the more pragmatic basis that a voter who feels their vote has made no difference may feel detached from their government or lose confidence in the democratic process.
		Their arguments may either suggest that in any voting system each vote is wasted (unless the result is decided by a single vote), or that no vote is wasted as each one sends a political signal which will be taken into account in preparation for the subsequent election.
		In a plurality voting system, the term "wasted vote" is not usually applied to votes for the second-placed candidate, but rather to votes for candidates finishing third or lower.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Wasted_vote (562 words)

	The 'wasted vote' - Feb. 19, 2004
		But far more importantly, I don't buy the concept of the "wasted vote." The only wasted vote as far as I can see is the one you give to a candidate you do not believe in simply because you think he or she has a chance to win.
		Correspondingly, the wasted vote is the one you do not give the candidate you believe in from the belief that he is "not likely to win." That is a self-fulfilling prophecy, guaranteeing doom--and not just for your candidate.
		There is no vote that is wasted on a candidate you believe is fit to run this country, whether he wins or not.
	www.inq7.net /opi/2004/feb/19/opi_csdequiros-1.htm (861 words)

	The Myth of the Wasted Vote by Charles L. Hooper
		Voting may still make sense, but the overall satisfaction of participating in a great democracy must be compared to the time and costs of voting.
		Your one vote has the same power to affect the results whether you vote for a major or minor candidate, but a vote for the candidate you respect and agree with gives you the expectation of a better outcome.
		If there is a wasted vote, it is the one cast futilely against the candidate you dislike in an attempt to swing the national election.
	www.lewrockwell.com /orig5/hooper1.html (1279 words)

	Wasted Votes?
		The only vote that is truly wasted in a vote cast for a candidate who does not support the views and ideals of the person who cast that vote, or for a candidate who does support the views and ideals as closely as another candidate.
		This is a wasted vote because it prevents that persons views from being accurately know at a time when that person is supposed to be announcing those views and ideals loudly, and clearly.
		It is a wasted vote because it damages the very core of the idea of representative government, by preventing one persons views and ideals from from being accurately represented.
	www.spectacle.org /1200/wastedvote.html (1063 words)

	The myth of the "wasted vote" \| Samizdata.net
		And if a large difference in the UKIP vote would definitely have a large consequence, then it surely follows that a small difference (the difference that one voter makes by voting UKIP or not or the case may be) makes a small difference.
		Voting is not betting on a horse in a horse race, where you get actual money back if you back the winner, but nothing if you do not.
		This 'wasted vote' argument is extremely silly, it is part of a class of arguments often deployed against libertarians which run along the lines that if what we demand isn't immediately politically realisible we are in some sense wasting our time.
	www.samizdata.net /blog/archives/006173.html (3232 words)

	Archive \| March 13, 2000 \| The myth of the wasted vote
		The first thing I would say about voting is that marking a ballot in a booth on a certain Tuesday is only one way Americans vote; it may not even be the most important.
		Frankly, one of the more important reasons to vote -- particularly for those who accept the argument that there are better ways to effect social change than voting -- is to act as ballast against those who would use the ballot as a social requisition form.
		However, that is not where the power really is. It is in the millions of individual votes cast every day, in supermarkets and cinemas, newsrooms and auto dealerships, among college students and senior citizens, at home and on the job.
	www.enterstageright.com /archive/articles/0300wasted.htm (1141 words)

	Crawl Across the Ocean: Wasted Votes
		So choosing who to vote for based on worries about wasting your vote is irrational and you are better off voting on principle.
		Voting doesn't make sense for any one of us individually (from a purely rational view), but it does make sense for all of us if we collectively agree that voting is a duty we should all carry out.
		You could vote Liberal to try and prevent the Conservatives from winning your riding but all that is going to happen is that the Liberal loses by 326 instead of 327 or wins by 284 instead of 283.
	crawlacrosstheocean.blogspot.com /2005/11/wasted-votes.html (1341 words)

	"Why should I vote for a 3rd party?" (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11)
		Voting for a candidate other than your favorite has the exact opposite of the desired effect.
		Voting is a means of conveying information about what you believe.
		In short, voting for someone other than your favorite candidate is not only unappealing, but also contrary to your own best interests.
	www.3pc.net /essays/fallacy.html (655 words)

	Don't Call My Vote 'Wasted' :: thetyee.ca
		And that vote has not appreciably increased by the the NDP adding the environment to their platform during that time (originally the diehard dialectical materialists in front of party ideology no doubt couldn't reckon with sometbing being more important than "the ownership of the means of production", i.e.
		People vote Green because they want to move environmental issues - the global environmental crisis - to the top of the agenda, and they want to signal that they are not happy with the same tired old crap coming out of the same tired old parties.
		To vote for a candidate whom you have never heard of, based on some rationale that "they have principles, one of which, saving the environment, is the very top of their list" shows either a massive sense of naivete, or is the result of not having bothered to research his vote.
	thetyee.ca /Views/2006/01/22/WastedVote (10879 words)

	News
		The idea of wasting one's vote on Election Day by casting your ballot for an independent or third party candidate is a political strategy created by the Republicans and Democrats to retain political power.
		A new definition is needed for the "wasted vote." Consider one that defines a "wasted vote" as a vote 'against' a candidate instead of 'for' a candidate.
		A wasted vote occurs when a voter is focused on the 'lesser of two evils' instead of expressing his true political beliefs.
	www.flirtingwithpower.com /news/article03.html (877 words)

	Wasted Vote? (2004)
		As seen previously, (wasted vote (2000)) the usual mantra from those who believe Christ should come first and the moral issues are of great importance is that a vote for someone who "cannot win" is a mistake.
		Now, again, if you say that it is a wasted vote to vote for the only candidate (Michael Peroutka) who puts God first, then you must reconsider your walk with God.
		When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, lit it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God.
	dutyisours.com /wastedvote2004.htm (2035 words)

	E-sangha, Buddhist Forum and Buddhism Forum -> Wasted Vote?
		Let’s examine the ritual of voting, its purpose, and its insanity.
		Voting for the candidate of your choice is one of the ways you can help to cause change.
		People should be free to vote for their favorite candidate without the fear of "wasted vote".
	www.lioncity.net /buddhism/index.php?showtopic=6846 (2832 words)

	MichiganDaily.com
		And unfortunately, too many people don't understand that and get shepherded into voting for a "winner." If you don't support someone, don't vote for him because of the donkey or elephant sewed into his boxers, because that's a surefire way of making sure that your voice is silenced.
		So do this nation a favor, and don't vote if you're out to vote for a person whose plans you don't understand, whose ideologies you don't agree with, and whose integrity is about as strong as the paper this is written on.
		There are six candidates on the ballot in Michigan, and voting for any one of them without knowing what the others stand for is really the only wasted vote.
	www.pub.umich.edu /daily/2000/oct/10-24-2000/edit/03.html (679 words)

	Voting Against Libertarians is a Wasted Vote
		Voting for or supporting Democrats is a sure-fire way to lose the freedom effort.
		Certainly wasting your vote on an unnamed Democrat, who might or might not be "'less worse" than President Bush, is a waste.
		But, the very best reason to vote Libertarian is this: You won't feel like taking a shower every time you consider voting for the less evil of two.
	www.totalaction.com /POTUS/bruce_wasted_vote.htm (513 words)

	BBC NEWS \| Election 2005 \| Issues \| Fact check: Will your vote be wasted?
		The Jenkins Commission report on electoral reform recommended that 15% to 20% of seats should be elected by proportional representation in order to "reduce the disproportionality and the geographical divisiveness" of the current system without "imposing a coalition habit on the country".
		This is why if Labour and the Conservatives both got 36% of the vote (with the Lib Dems on 22%), Labour would have an estimated majority of 64 in the next Parliament on a uniform swing.
		The current system also increases the importance of the 100-150 marginal seats where most campaigning is concentrated, and electoral reformers argue that it means the voters in the remaining 400 seats are regarded as irrelevant.
	news.bbc.co.uk /1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/issues/4508171.stm (644 words)

	Second Negative \| A Wasted Vote (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11)
		Pa Ferguson, governor of Texas in the early 1900’s, was famously elected by fashioning himself as “Farmer Jim” and capturing the rural vote, even though he had never lived or worked on a farm in his life.
		The “new conservatives” (not to be confused with traditional conservatives) practice a brand of politics that targets specific groups with inflammatory issues, and then appeals to the lowest common denominator.
		Votes have never been simply a reflection of ideology, but rarely in history have groups so often voted against their own best interests.
	www.secondnegative.com /archives/2005/04/28/a-wasted-vote (897 words)

	PinoyOnBoard.com - A Conscience Vote Is Not a Wasted Vote
		I wanted very much to vote but could not, thanks to the Philippine COMELEC officials and the lawmakers who were so scared of the Filipino-American vote that they made it extremely difficult for Overseas Filipino like us who are thousands of miles away from the nearest consulate to register and vote.
		A conscience vote is a vote for idealism, and a vote for idealism is never wasted.
		A vote for Heherson Alvarez is a strong vote for idealism and patriotism.
	abc.eznettools.net /pob-usa/2004/0510_vote.html (880 words)

	The Wasted Vote Myth: From a Libertarian Perspective
		The biggest objection by allies to voting for a Third Party is the "wasted vote" argument -- the idea that if you vote for someone who will not win, then the vote does not count.
		Voting for a third party, contrary to popular belief, is not a wasted vote.
		An increasing number of Libertarian votes is continuously noted by the politicians as well as the media.
	chelm.freeyellow.com /wastedvote.html (1667 words)

	The Myth of the Wasted Vote
		In American partisan elections, most people feel compelled to vote for either a Democrat or a Republican because they feel that they should choose between front runners, which status is conferred upon D's and R's by historical inertia.
		People feel it, and some sometimes even say it, that a vote for an independent or minor party candidate is a wasted vote.
		Therefore, a vote for the lesser of two evils may in fact be worse than a wasted vote; it might actually be counterproductive.
	www.hevanet.com /kort/2004/FISHER7.HTM (1043 words)

	THE WASTED VOTE FALLACY
		By far our biggest problem is the "wasted vote" argument -- the idea that if you vote for someone who will not win, then the vote does not count.
		If they start to draw votes, one or both of the two big parties steal their ideas (that is the one item we welcome them to steal from us).
		An increasing number of Libertarian votes is indeed noted by the politicians as well as the media.
	freedomkeys.com /myvcrider.htm (492 words)

	Article \| Wasted Vote? There's No Such Thing
		A recent CNN state-by-state projection shows Bush winning 32 states and Kerry 17 (Maine's electoral votes would be divided under that state's law), with the president winning the electoral college vote 301 to 237.
		Yet Gore had a plurality of the popular vote by a margin of about 500,000 — in large part because of the huge majorities he won in states with large populations, particularly New York and California, where he won by a combined 3 million votes.
		But they also ought to hope that the popular vote winner and the electoral college victor are one and the same this time.
	www.manhattan-institute.org /html/_latimes-wasted_vote.htm (790 words)

	Every Vote is Wasted by J.H. Huebert
		Young Americans are frequently accused of being apathetic about politics because, as a group, they don’t vote as much as older people.
		To say that "not voting is just like voting for the winner" is silly.
		Reducing all that is your voice to a vote turns you from a unique human being into a digit in a ones column.
	www.lewrockwell.com /orig3/huebert7.html (590 words)

	Constitution Party News Articles
		Peroutka says, a truly wasted vote is a vote for a candidate who tells you up front, before even taking his oath of office, that he intends to violate the Constitution – which is exactly what both Mr.
		A vote for John Kerry is a vote for John Kerry.
		And the sooner you and I recognize that, the sooner we will be free to exercise an unfettered vote in confidence for a truly moral candidate who does champion the values for which we thought the GOP stood.
	www.constitutionparty.com /news.php?aid=106 (3743 words)

	THE (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11)
		The best way to slow down government waste is to slow down spending, and the best way for that to be done right now is to have "gridlock" in Congress.
		The conventional wisdom is that votes for people and parties who favor smaller government would otherwise be cast for Republicans.
		And on top of that, every vote for third parties - especially the Personal Choice and Libertarian parties - sends a specific message, because it's very clear what we stand for - liberty and freedom for real, and for ALL.
	www.totalaction.com /POTUS/issues/wasted.htm (230 words)

	The Wasted Vote Syndrome (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11)
		And when I voted, I allowed others to convince me to vote for people I disliked in order to keep people I hate out of office.
		And then it was clear to me that the only real way to waste your vote is not to use it.
		You can vote for the Republicrats and Demopublicans (politics-as-usual), candidates in single cause parties or single personality parties, or you can vote for the candidates of the Party of Principle--The Libertarian Party.
	www.outrightusa.org /articles/Article04.htm (309 words)

	The Unwasted Vote
		If no candidate had a majority, all votes for the candidate with the fewest first choice votes would be distributed to the second choice of those voters.
		In a state with 20 electors, votes for the less popular candidates (below a certain threshold) might be distributed to more popular ones, perhaps resulting in 9 electors for one candidate, 8 for another, 3 for another, and 1 for a fourth.
		If we establish national standards for voting and being listed on the ballot, eliminate the Electoral College, distribute votes, and allow for proportional representation in Congress, we can reduce vote fraud, level the field for third-party candidates, assure those elected of popular support, and increase the diversity of opinion at all levels of government.
	www.lowendmac.com /soapbox/reform4.html (1723 words)

	The Wasted Vote Syndrome [Free Republic] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11)
		The proudly vote their consciences without seeming to realize or care about the inevitable damage associated with their votes (in '92 and '96, the election of a democrat) as well as being oblivious to the 'threshold factor'.
		I'll throw my vote, and my Wife is committed to it as well, into that pool that both of the corrupt parties are going to have to try to steal.
		Perhaps if more people voted for what they believed in, instead of settling for a good deal less than what they believed in, we would be able to put this nation back on a constitutional path.
	www.freerepublic.com /forum/a39fcab912eb2.htm (6664 words)

	The Free Press -- Independent News Media - None
		The biggest objection by allies to voting for a Third Party is the “wasted vote” argument — the idea that if you vote for someone who will not win, then the vote does not count.
		When you vote, you gain a certain power that a non-voter doesn’t have; the power to change America.
		After watching both Democrats and Republicans make promises that frequently become lies, two conclusions should become evident: (1) The lesser of two evils is still evil, and (2) the only way to waste your vote is not to use it for a candidate that sends the message you want to send to America.
	www.freepress.org /departments/display/15/2000/130/1/18 (1017 words)

	Which Vote is Wasted? (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11)
		The view of those who regard a vote for the "third party" candidate as "throwing away" one's vote is clearly the more practical choice, when the goal is to keep Democrats out of office.
		In my opinion, Republican voters are "throwing away" their vote, when they choose to vote for the Republican, even though the views of the Independent, Constitution Party, or Libertarian Party candidate are more in line with their views.
		When we vote for the "spoiler" candidate, and he gets only 2% of the vote, but that was the margin of loss for the Republican candidate, that Republican politician lost precisely because he did not represent the constituency.
	www.freerepublic.com /focus/f-rlc/793770/posts (6070 words)

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