only because people have been brainwashed into thinking a 3rd party vote is a waste of a vote.
It is a waste since 3rd parties never even get a fraction of a percent of the votes
That is because nobody will vote for them because they never get enough votes, and they never get enough votes because nobody will vote for them...do you see the circular reasoning in play here?
It's not circular reasoning at all.
If I lived in a state that showed strong support for a third party I would vote if the candidate was a good choice. I don't live in such a state and my vote means nothing because I live in a Democratic stronghold so I don't waste my time voting in any national elections or even state elections I will vote in local elections because that is where my vote has the most effect
But I refuse to vote simply for the sake of voting
Fair point. However, I view when I vote for bad third party candidates that I am not voting for the candidate, I am voting for the third party. That's why I voted for Nadar in 2008. I shared one view with him. When he was criticized for helping McCain, he asked what difference does it make?
You see my point? People have to believe in third party candidates to get people to vote third party and to get people to vote for them. Look at Perot in 1992, they can rock the two party system's world.
If you vote third party, you are saying you vote and you aren't happy with the two choices. If you don't vote, your message is you just don't give a shit. Whatever you meant, that's the message you sent. You aren't going to be bothered voting. It's too much like work