Blog: Against “Lesser Evil” Voting

First of all, confront the reality that your vote does not matter.

Ok, I’ll grant there is a sliver of a chance that it matters. That is, there is a minuscule chance your single vote will change the outcome of an election. But almost every time every single person votes, the winner of that election would have been the same had that individual voter stayed home. Given the overwhelming odds against a single vote changing the results, it would be irrational to operate as though you expect it to.

So, if your vote doesn’t change the outcome, why do it? Maybe you want to feel like you’re part of something greater than yourself, or that you at least did something to try to create a better political apparatus. Perhaps you just want to vote so your friends don’t say “you can’t complain if you don’t vote”.

Don’t Vote For The Lesser Evil

Alright then maybe you should still take the time to vote. But if you keep in mind that you have virtually zero chance of changing the outcome of an election, then there is no reason to vote for someone you dislike but who is merely less bad than the opposition.

You can still satisfy the desire to vote by casting a ballot for someone you genuinely like and agree with. It doesn’t matter if that person doesn’t have a chance at winning because your vote was (almost) never going to make a candidate win anyway. At least if you vote for your ideal candidate, you can rest easy knowing you didn’t endorse an evil, even if it was a “lesser evil”.

Liked it? Take a second to support The Principled Libertarian on Patreon!