The conversation starts with a question.

Are you going to vote for Romney or Obama?

I answer “Gary Johnson.” Then comes the look. The thought behind their stare says “Oh, you’re one of those people.”

Your friend doesn’t really want to discuss or debate politics. They just want to see if you are on their team and if not, they can give you some ribbing about how your team is going to lose.

It annoys them that you won’t play along and they do their best to bring you back into the fold.

The Lost Vote

This same person will say voting third party is “just like voting for Romney!” Or vice versa, depending on which candidate they dislike.

At the core of this argument is the premise that there are really only two candidates that count, which I reject. Neither Obama nor Romney is losing my vote. If the Republican and Democrat were really the only two choices, I simply would not vote.

The Anti-Vote

If your friend cannot persuade you that their candidate is the best choice, the most common tactic is to tell you that the other guy is the worst choice. It’s the old ‘lesser of two evils’ ploy.

The problem is that while both candidates bicker about what federal money should be spent on, they still both plan for deficit spending. Romney and Obama criticize each other about when to start pre-emptive wars, not if it should be done. They both agree in deeds, if not words, that the federal government needs more power to keep the only slightly less free citizenry safe.

The Wasted Vote

Your candidate cannot win, so you’re just wasting your vote.

In a way, it makes sense. You are only one vote and one vote won’t make a difference. But…What if you weren’t the only one that thought that way? It could change the entire system.

Participate in your freedom

Picking from two candidates, neither of which you support, isn’t much of a choice. The truth is that the only wasted vote is the one uncast.

Vote for the candidate that resonates with you and it will count whether they win the election or not.