There are only two choices ...

There may indeed be five names on the ballot - perhaps more in some states. I believe you will agree with me that only TWO have any chance of being elected. 

Therefore, when you vote, you are exercising your ability to choose between those two. If a citizen votes for a minor party candidfate, the real world effect of that "vote" is that it helped one of the two major party candidates, while diminishing the chances of the other major candidate. 

With that understanding, what you really have is one way to vote for Trump, by voting Republican; and four different ways to help Hillary's campaign - by doing anything other than vote Republican. Allow me to give you a quick example of that principle operating in a recent election. 

In the year 2000, the major party candidates were Albert Preston Gore, Jr., and George W. Bush. In the state of Florida, Ralph Nader was also on the ballot as the candidate of the Green Party. There were only 537 popular votes separating Bush from Gore, with each major candidate having 2.912 million votes each. Ralph nader also received 97,488 popular votes as the Green Party candidate. In that election, taking those 97,000 votes from Democrat Gore, caused Republican Bush to win the state of Florida, and thereby, the national election. 

If Nader had not been on the Florida ballot, most of his 97,488 votes would have gone to the Democrats, and Al Gore would have become president of the United States. Therefore, in that election every vote for Ralph Nader was, in its effect on the election, a vote for George W. Bush. 

In this 2016 election, every vote that would otherwise go to Trump, is going to help Hillary Clinton win the election. As a leader in this state, you have an obligation to decide which major candidate you want to win on November 8th. Refusing to choose between the two who can win is a cop-out. If you choose that route, I will be very disappointed, with either your judgment, your understanding, or both. Josiah, I do NOT question your integrety, only your understanding, and possibly, your judgment.

Allow me to point out one additional fact. Prior to the death of Justice Scalia, most decisions on the social issues important to you were decided 5/4 in favor of the conservative position. Now there is a 4/4 split and the next president will fill that vacancy. 

Justice Ginsburg is 83, has several heart stints, and is in very poor health. Two other Justices are almost as old and decrepit. The next president will definitely make two appointments to the US Supreme Court, and may in fact make four appointments IN THE FIRST TERM. 

Do you really want Hillary Clinton appointing four justices? People make the weak, and untrue, arguument, well they don't trust Donald Trump. Allow me to explain that to you in a different way. 

Suppose Trump and Clinton each have a pistol pointed at your heart from two feet away. You MUST allow one of them to pull his or her trigger. You know for a fact that Hillary's gun is loaded. You do not know if Trump's gun is loaded or not? What's the only logical choice? Oh, in this example, if you vote for a minor party candidate, Hillary gets to pull the trigger for any of them because only Hillary and Trump actually have guns (the ability to win the election). 

Written by Dean Allen

Greenville SC GOP