Protest Voting As A Strategy

  1. Outinleftfield
    Outinleftfield
    It seems to me that a lot of people who realize that trying to win elections or supporting candidates from the 2 major parties will never do any good usually don't bother with voting. The problem is people lump in that statistic with people who didn't vote for all the other reasons like apathy or just plain forgetting to vote.

    That's why I think protest voting is an important strategy. Even if they can't win we should still go out and vote for socialist candidates.

    PS, anyone have any idea who the Socialist Party or other socialist parties is fielding for Michigan?
  2. redphilly
    redphilly
    No idea about Michigan - my rule of thumb is to vote socialist -- period. I /think/ Matt Erard is running for office on the SP ticket in MI, but could be wrong. In Ohio, Dan LaBotz is running on the SP (LaBotz used to be in Solidarity, not sure if he is anymore) and in Connecticut Chris Hutchinson is running for congress on the Socialist Action ticket. http://votesocialistaction.wordpress...nd-government/
  3. redphilly
    redphilly
    LaBotz campaign statement. Dan's running for US Senate
    http://rustbeltradical.wordpress.com...ation-for-all/
  4. redphilly
    redphilly
    Erard and other MI Socialist Party members are running on the Green Party line.
    http://www.spmichigan.org/news.php

    Not sure how I feel about it - it depends on whether they are running as open socialists. Sorry for all the posts
  5. Tablo
    I understand the point of not voting, but it really doesn't matter either way. I wouldn't criticize a fellow Anarchist if they voted even though I wouldn't waste my own time with it.
  6. Sixiang
    Sixiang
    While I don't believe in social dem parties or that socialism can be attained from on high by winning elections, I still will vote for the Socialist Party USA. It usually only takes a few minutes to vote. I look over all the candidates from all the parties running and I make my picks. The SPUSA candidates get first pick. Followed by Greens then the Democrats. I only vote for a Republican when they are the only candidate, which happens with local elections sometimes. If anything, I think that voting for the socialists just kind of tells Americans that we still exist, we do get a percentage (albeit a small one), and we do not support the Republicrats thrown out there. I'll still choose to read up on revolutionary communist theory rather than social democratic theory and working for revolution not campaigning for elections.