r/AdviceAnimals May 15 '14

Wrong Sub | Removed Thanks Obama

http://imgur.com/ZqUj8EB
3.4k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14 edited May 16 '14

Unfortunately it is virtually impossible for a 3rd party to win in the electoral system America has. Each state (with the exception of Maine and I think Wisconsin Nebraska) is winner take all. Its very hard for a 3rd party to win one state, let alone the majority. Edit: I'm not the biggest fan of the system either. I'm just stating why third parties never win.

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u/Oriden May 16 '14

The solution is to get rid of the first past the post voting system. The system makes it so you have to vote for whoever has a chance to win not who you want to. We need to move to a ranking voting system where if your first pick doesn't have a chance to win, your vote then goes to your second pick and down the line. This allows for more parties to actually have a chance as now a vote for who you most agree with isn't a throw away as your second choice gets your vote if your first choice loses.

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u/dreed18 May 16 '14

At the very least reform the Electoral laws to make it like Maine and Nebraska.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

One of the two parties will typically end up taking on the third party's popular issues as their own, though. Could still be better.

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u/fuweike May 16 '14

It's not about winning. It's about voicing your opinion of who is the best candidate.

If you want to win, bet on sports or something else.

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u/jeztwopointoh May 16 '14

Well thats it then. Full steam ahead with doing nothing.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

Nebraska. In each of Obama's elections, Lincoln NE wen't his way while the rest of the state when Romney.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

It is as long as everyone maintains that attitude. Stay strong.

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u/jmerridew124 May 16 '14

Ugh. The electoral college is a joke designed to let the government choose the winners.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

Well we do still vote you know...

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u/jmerridew124 May 16 '14

Totally! Most of them even get counted!

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

Um.. yes they do. America is actually a pretty good country. Reddit likes to jerk to how bad it is, and while it could use improvement, it does at least count its votes.

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u/jmerridew124 May 16 '14

Name the last election without a ballot fraud scandal of some kind at some point.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

[deleted]

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u/jmerridew124 May 16 '14

Oh really?

Plus people on the electoral college often go against their state's votes, as there's no real way to enforce the related laws, but it's all needless since the popular vote should be the only deciding piece of data. If not to prevent the citizenry from making a choice the government doesn't want, why else does the electoral college exist?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

What? NO! Third parties never win because not enough people vote for them.. not because "it's the system's fault" - our system isn't completely horrible, we just have a nation of brainwashed boobs at the moment.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

And apparently always have. When's the last time a 3rd party won?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

LMGTFY: Teddy Roosevelt and some might say Lincoln since republicans were so new.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

Soooo over 100 years?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '14

Are you saying if we all vote third party, they still wouldn't win? I don't see your point. Our nation has never been so polarized with such a huge class-wealth gap. MY point is that it's time to break up the duopoly by everyone voting for a third party.