The critical importance of strategic voting: Defeat Bush. Support third parties. Unite pro

Defeat George Bush, support third parties, build a progressive majority:
Through votepair.org, it’s all possible

No progressive in California can in good faith dispute the importance of third parties in broadening public debate and getting us closer to the day when U.S. politics are truly representative. Yet we also don’t want to see the outcome of the 2000 election repeated: five Electoral College votes overriding 500,000 individual votes to put George Bush in the White House.

This is why volunteers from across the country who are allied with different parties started votepair.org to revitalize the strategic voting movement in 2004. Votepair.org gives progressives the opportunity to unite, build bridges, and make choices to advance our collective long-term interests. Progressives of all stripes know that a second Bush presidency would mean more of the same, only worse. Unfettered from the constraints of a reelection bid and emboldened by its victory, the Bush administration would launch an even more determined assault on civil liberties, social justice, the environment, a woman’s right to choose, fiscal responsibility, and international law.

Simple actions, big effect
The greatest social and political changes are often the result of unity and coalition-building among parties with similar goals. And coalitions are most effective when they involve some compromise. In the critical 2004 election, many progressives understand they need to cast their ballots for a candidate that may be their second (or third) choice to help realize a greater national interest. As of October 12, 2459 people had signed up on votepair.org, including 663 from California.

This week, votepair.org will begin pairing progressive voters. Democrats in states considered safe for Bush or John Kerry (like Texas or New York) will be paired with supporters of Green Party candidate David Cobb, Independent/Reform candidate Ralph Nader, and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik in swing states (like Florida, Ohio, or Pennsylvania). The potential result? A resounding endorsement of third-party candidates, as reflected in the popular vote, and more votes for Kerry, as reflected in the election-deciding Electoral College vote.

A step toward change
The organizers of votepair.org believe that strong third parties are critical to the nation's future and that citizens have the right to use their votes strategically—particularly in an Electoral College system that effectively ignores the views of many voters in presumed safe states (thereby reducing the incentive to vote), discards the votes of those who don’t support the winning candidate, and denies the right of individual citizens to vote for electors. Most important, the Electoral College system can override the popular vote, as happened in the 2000 presidential election.

Seen in this way, strategic voting contributes to putting control over election outcomes back where it belongs: in the hands of individual citizens. The vote pair idea also reflects a too-often-forgotten tenet of democracy: every vote counts.

Contrary to the assertions of opponents of vote pairing, the process is neither unethical nor illegal. There is nothing wrong with two people from different states drawing similar conclusions and sharing common interests. At its core, vote pairing is a form of political association and expression protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. And the essence of vote pairing is free choice—which is why votepair.org encourages pairs to communicate with each other before fulfilling their pledges on Election Day.

For some people, voting for their second choice can seem a betrayal of their political principles. But by uniting to vote strategically, progressives can help elect a President who represents at least some (or most) of our principles and views, rather than none at all. That is, we prevent the reelection of a President intent on wreaking human, social, and environmental havoc for another four years.

Vote pairing is a way to both support one’s preferred candidates and ensure that more voices are heard. Relations among progressive parties have been at a low point, with Democratic Party officials trying to keep Nader off of the ballot and Nader supporters holding rallies outside Democratic headquarters. But a progressive vote split at least four ways weakens all of us. It’s not too late to stand united, and in doing so to move toward the more open and diverse political system that we all envision. Votepair.org can help get us there.