Trading an Independent swing state vote for a Democratic one

vote4vote.com

4 points·strong_code··5 comments

Interesting, why bother voting for major party candidates in non-swing state states in the first place?

Voters disenchanted with their options in California, Massachusetts, etc. should not waste their vote. They would be better off voting for a 3rd party candidate. Then, they could make a tangible difference in helping that party reach the 5% popular vote mark that would lead to federal funding.

Surely this is electoral fraud?

Trading votes in not illegal[0] in the US under the condition that no pecuniary value is added. In other words, as long as you don't buy or sell a vote. This website merely connects two voters from different parties and states and enabled them to pledge to swap votes.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote_pairing#Legality

So "democratic" tools such as these are used to further entrench the duopoly of the Republican/Democratic parties, instead of breaking them apart and helping create more parties that better represent the people?

If the vote is traded, it is a net 0 swing for any party involved. This tool was created with the explicit intent of gaining Hillary votes in battleground states because Trump is such a real threat to this country (and others).

Personally, I do not like Hillary as a presidential candidate and oppose many of her views and stances. However, I would much prefer her in office than Trump. I would love to see a true 3 (or more) party system in the future, but at this point in time you need to be realistic and direct your efforts where it make sense.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com