throwing away your vote...assuming you still believe your vote counts...

[N0D]

so for the past 2 presidential elections (the ones since I've been able to vote) I've voted for the green party nominee both times, and the time before that when i was 16 or whatever i campaigned around my town and annoyed lots of old/middle-age people telling them to stop settling for the lesser of 2 evils. And I fully intend to carry on my campaign for the green party this coming election, mostly i campaign and argue to my family and neighbors that I know. However, my Dad inevitably decides to make it his mission to convince me that I am throwing my vote away, because as he sees it, there is no chance a third party will win the election. Therefore not voting for the lesser of 2 evils is throwing your vote away.

Can anyone help me with how to explain to him that I am not throwing my vote away? And just because they might not win doesn't mean my vote was worthless?

p.s. my Dad is AT LEAST as stubborn as me, I suspect he is most likely far more stubborn but my opinion is very biased.

 

[MrJones]

I've tried to convince people for similar things, and if they are so stubborn, and especially if it's about politics, you will never change his mind.

Anyway, I think that voting for someone just so your vote goes to someone who wins is not very good for democracy.

2-party countries are like alien vs. predator, whoever wins... we lose. When they are enough powerful to win (if not now, in the next elections) they don't care about doing it well, they just want to seem the ones who do it less bad (or at least it's what happens in Spain, the 2 bigger parties only say that the other made it worse, instead of the good things they will make).

PS: I don't know much about the subject, don't pay too much attention to what I say

 

[SeniorRedrings]

Your vote will count the day you stop acquiescing to corporate manipulation.

You are personally responsible for the state of politics if you devote your life to the pursuit of desire objects and showy status.

Occupy Wall Street?
Occupy your id.

 

[Thelema]

I only vote for myself.

 

[vj288]

If the third party is ever going to win they have to gain support over time. So by voting for them now you're actually voting for them in the future! You obviously can't argue you think they'll actually win this election, saying something along these lines maybe though? I know little about politics though, so you'll have to make it smarter before you say it

 

[drganon]

Not to be a jerk, but the green party doesn't really have a snowball's chance in hell of winning any seats in congress, much less the presidency. You should still be proud that you vote and have actual political beliefs and opinions though. Most people don't have the slightest clue who is representing them in congress, who the speaker of the house is etc, but they do know what happened on Jersey Shore last night! God people are stupid...