BYU NewsNet - Meet the Third-Party Candidates

In this turbulent election year, some voters are unhappy with both Barack Obama and John McCain, instead looking to third party candidates for solutions to America's problems.

Cris Anderson, an engineering major from Spanish Fork, said many people feel choosing between McCain or Obama is like picking the lesser of two evils. "Voting third party allows them to vote without feeling like they compromised voting for someone they couldn't support," Anderson said.

Today's political landscape includes third parties ranging from the well-known Libertarian Party and Green Party to the lesser-known Peace and Freedom Party.

Andrew McCullough, chairman of the Libertarians of Utah and candidate for Utah Attorney General said the decision does not have to be limited to the Republican and Democratic Parties, and the advantage of independent parties is the support of ideas that major parties won't dare voice. "When people tell me they don't want to vote for either candidate I explain that the decision isn't between just two," McCullough said. "There are seven candidates on the ballot to consider for those who are not happy with Obama or McCain."

Many recall Ralph Nader, one of the most visible third-party candidates in modern political history, who ran for the Green Party ticket in 2000. According to the New York Times, Nader earned 2.74 percent of the national vote, which many critics believe siphoned votes from Al Gore and elected George W. Bush. This year, Nader is running for the Peace and Freedom party, and selected Matt Gonzalez, a California civil rights lawyer, as his vice-presidential nominee. According to his Web site, Nader supports cutting in military spending, cracking down on corporate crime, taxing carbon pollution, supporting affirmative action initiatives and a single-payer national healthcare system (similar to Canada). The Nader campaign wants to directly reverse the current U.S. Policy in the Middle East. Nader also calls for election reform to open presidential debates to third parties, thereby ending ballot access obstructionism.

The Libertarian Party nominated Bob Barr, a former Georgia Republican congressman. According to his campaign Web site, Barr advocates a speedy withdrawal of Iraq troops and believes same-sex marriage decisions be left to individual states. His vice-presidential nominee is Wayne Allan Root of Nevada.

Andrew McCullough discussed the laissez-faire ideals associated with the Libertarian party. "We are freedom lovers, who want the government's nose out of our business," he said. "Things like the Patriot Act don't make me feel safer; they make me afraid of government."

According to an official press release, Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney is committed to environmentalism, non-violence and social justice. Ironically, McKinney is infamous for an altercation with a Capitol Hill security guard. CNN reported McKinney struck a security guard who stopped her from entering the building without the required lapel pin. McKinney's running mate is hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente.

Adam Brown, a political science professor who teaches a BYU Campaigns and Elections course said many people don't vote for third parties because of the 'wasted vote' logic. He explained because the Democrat and Republican parties are so polarized, votes for other candidates rarely swing an election. According to CNN polls, in 2004 the leading third party candidate Ralph Nader received only 1 percent of the national vote.

Brown said a rise in support for third-party candidates is unlikely. "To really gain support, independent parties have to have enough force to breakup the major parties," he said.

Greg Hall, a 26-year-old political science major from Salt Lake City said to really create change, third party candidates should advance their ideas by approach a major party and working from within their framework. "Honestly, if you want to vote for third party candidates you might as well start playing the lottery," he said.

McCullough said third-party candidacies exist not to win elections, but to put forth new ideas that could potentially shape mainstream party policies.