Choosing between “the lesser of two evils”?

It’s safe to say that in general, American’s aren’t very happy with their choice of candidates this year. 

According to gallup.comExternal link, Republican nominee Donald Trump’s unfavourable score is the worst in American presidential polling history, at 61%. And at 52%, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s is the second worst.

Hanré Chang, a Swiss abroad from Rheinfelden, Aargau who now lives in Santa Barbara, California, says:

“I have cast my vote…’for the lesser of two evils’. This seems to have become the common slogan going into the elections. We desperately need another major party to represent [Independents]. The two party system and the electoral college system are the reasons so many people feel like their vote doesn’t matter. The two-party system is not representative enough of the whole country.”

Anne Catherine Kelley, a Swiss abroad from Valais and now living in Houston, Texas, says: “To be very honest, I don’t support much either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump…so I’m still uncertain who I will vote for!!!” 

Some voters, like Chang, have opted to select the candidate they feel is the lesser evil – presumably to prevent the greater evil from entering the White House.

For others, voting for a third party candidate is another way around this dilemma.

“I have been a Republican since I was a teenager, but I think Trump is a demagogic idiot and that Clinton is a corrupt and self-interested liar, so I wrote in Evan McMullin of Utah for President,” says Nick Wenker, a Swiss abroad born in Zurich and now living in Houston, Texas.

According to the Wall Street JournalExternal link, opinion polls indicate that Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Party nominee Jill Stein, and independent Evan McMullin are “on course for the best showing by third party or independent candidates in nearly two decades” – referring to Ralph Nader’s 2000 run, in which he received nearly 3% of America’s vote for the Green Party.

But it’s hard to say whether this increased support is due to greater openness of voters to third party candidates, or directly to unhappiness with this year’s major party candidates.