2004-02-24
Vote Trading
Vote Trading is an interesting piece of game play that may have the power to change the fate of the world.
The idea is that when you have a three-way election, like we have again for the Presidential election 2004, two candidates can help each other out.
Naderites' objective is to win5% of thepopular vote to show America there are lots of people that would vote for a third party.
Democrats and Republicans are trying to secureelectoral votes.
So for the point of the election, it doesn't matterwhere a Naderite votes. For Democrats and Republicans location is key!
Suppose I am a Naderite in Arizona, a "swing" state. If I were to strike a bargain with a Democrat in California, a strongly Democratic state, wherein I would vote Democrat, and he would vote Nader, then we transfer the power of his Democratic vote to help the fight in Arizona while preserving my Naderian interests.
Neat, huh? You can read the article for further details. However, some people might say that it was because of a third party that we have such quotes from theSimpsons:
- "I haven't been this happy since we stole the election in 2000" - Flanders Flanders
- "I voted for the green M&Ms" - Homer
Moral of the story: if your interested in playing around withgame theory, and you're a Naderite in a swing state, go out and trade votes with the party of your choosing. Alternatively, if you live in the stronghold of your party, go out and find Naderians in swing states and distribute your vote to achieveMax Power!
And remember, vote early and often!