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Gail .
  • Gail .
  • Myrtle Beach, SC
  • United States

TEDCRED 50+

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Why don't we hear about third-party candidates in the US?

Does anyone else find it a sad testament to the USA, that Russia Today, a Moscow-based, Russian government-owned television station hosted and broadcast the 3rd Party debate? (RT.org, but it's available on YouTube)

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    edward long 100+

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    Nov 6 2012: Better there should be a third team on the field for the final game of the World Cup, or the Superbowl, or the World Series. All the other competitors have, for all practical intents and purposes, been eliminated in earlier contests. At some point we want A VICTOR! By the way, there are more names than two on our ballots. I find nothing "sad" about America's election process when specifically compared to Russia's. We are free to write-in any name we want. Thank you!
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      Gail . 50+

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      Nov 6 2012: Write-in votes are not legal in my and 8 other states. They are not counted in two more, except that in one of those 2, it counts as "other" and in both of these two, there is no provision for selecting the electors, which makes them meaningless.

      When it is not legal for me to vote my conscience (via write-in), I don't call it a particularly legitimate election.

      Earlier this year, in my state, 220 plus democrats were thrown off the ballot because they sent their required ethics and spending reports directly to the board of elections rather than their political party who would then forward them to the same place for them. The Republican judge ordered them off the ballot right before the primaries, which then kept them off all ballots today. That means that every state and local candidate is running unopposed and they are ALL Republicans. How convenient for them. And THIS is America????

      Feels worse than Russia. . Feels more like a dictatorship to me.
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        edward long 100+

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        Nov 6 2012: All those "Republican judges" were elected by voters who wanted them. Your state sounds like a Republican stronghold. If those candidates failed to meet the procedural requirements of the law they should have been kept off the ballot. Only those candidates who meet the requirements should be on the ballot. Legislate to have write-in names legalized in your state. We are 50 separate states each with individual characteristics and laws. If you feel strongly about an issue and cannot get satisfaction via the political process consider moving to a different state. What a great country! You are free to move to any state you prefer, or to any country. In a dictatorship you would not have such freedom.
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      Gail . 50+

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      Nov 6 2012: Oh, and I forgot to mention that my congressional district was just gerrymandered because so many retirees are coming here and any Republican candidate would face a threat.

      I'm not a Democrat (more of a Ron Paul type), but how is this NOT like a 3rd world country?

      Oh, I forgot another thing. Have you seen the long lines wrapping around city blocks and heard about the 5 - 10 hour wait to vote. day after day? Or how about the Florida situation where the election place shut down early. People stayed, chanting "Let us vote". Several cars were towed before it was stopped and the office was reopened.

      ALL of these places are in Republican controlled states, and ALL of these places are in urban areas where Democrats live. Couple that with false advertising about Voter ID (a non-problem) and mis-stated election dates in Spanish, and this IS a 3rd world country when it comes to elections.

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