10/24/2020

Sheilah,

As happens frequently at table conversations, subjects pass too rapidly to express or hash out full thoughts and we end up with bite sized ideas flying around and I leave with conversations that could've been, and perhaps should've been, crowding my mind.

A few weeks ago at dinner with John and Luca on your porch we briefly discussed politics. You had indicated essentially that a 3rd party vote was a vote against Biden. I only had time to disagree and was unable to elaborate before the subject had closed or carried forward. That may have been better for the moment. Anyways, I was reminded of this conversation this morning by an email from the CEO of Expensify to their entire customer base.

They said:

“I know you don’t want to hear this from me. And I guarantee I don’t want to say it. But we are facing an unprecedented attack on the foundations of democracy itself. If you are a US citizen, anything less than a vote for Biden is a vote against democracy. "That’s right, I’m saying a vote for Trump, a vote for a third-party candidate, or simply not voting at all -- they’re all the same, and they all mean: “I care more about my favorite issue than democracy. I believe Trump winning is more important than democracy. I am comfortable standing aside and allowing democracy to be methodically dismantled, in plain sight.”

• Click this toggle for the remainder of the Expensify CEOs Email

This is strong language. I believe it's partisan and myopic. I disagree for a few reasons, which I grant some may find trivial in this moment in history. This is why I want to ensure my full thoughts are conveyed and not left hanging.

To boil it down:

First, when we vote we can literally only vote for a thing/candidate. We cannot vote against. The basic reasoning for this truth is the same reason there are so few social media platforms which enable disliking things. We can only give encouragement and strength to a perspective, a thought, a position, a candidate. We can only build up, we can't tear down or go against. It only feels like we can in voting because we have so few alternatives.

Second, I don't like diminishing 3rd party voting. You might say that the electoral college ensures that 3rd party votes are lost votes. I find that belief in something is never worthless. Even if a 3rd party vote doesn't contribute toward a win, it does express itself. It's a minority opinion that needs to be heard, especially if it is held so strongly that it is expressed in light of such a highly charged political moment. Minority opinions/experiences/peoples are usually so protected by espoused democrats. It's disheartening to see that falter when the concerns about current democratic rhetoric from those who might be on the fence or right leaning mostly manifest as concerns for freedom of speech and thought. In the 60s democrats were feeling that they were on trial for their thoughts, some actually seem to have been (this was well captured in the recent Aaron Sorkin film on Netflix, Trial of the Chicago Seven), and now many right leaning folk feel that way. Whether they are on trial or not, they feel that way and that must feel scary (there's a lot more that could be unpacked here).

3rd party votes may not result in wins temporarily, but perhaps only because 3rd party votes are so constantly diminished. If they were rooted for and encouraged maybe one day it’d help us replace one of these two decrepit parties.

Most of the failings of democracy are the failings of myopia, so I believe we need to take the long term perspective every time we vote and every time we speak of it. I believe it's wrong to diminish 3rd party perspectives, it is also biased. The quote above says a vote for a 3rd party is a vote against democracy and Biden yet wouldn't you, and the writer of the above, rather a would-be Trump voter voted 3rd party instead of for Trump?

That makes it pretty clear to me that it's false to say anything less than a vote for Biden is a vote against democracy. Yes, Trump needs to go. I'd also like both parties to undergo significant rebranding. And every time 3rd party voting is diminished we may be prolonging the life of these two silly parties.

I believe it's really important to vote for Biden in this election, but I also think it's important to continue building up support in 3rd parties if we are ever going to see substantial evolution of our present parties in a timely manner. I would personally love to see the republican party embrace more of a libertarian perspective.

There are plenty of decent candidates for lower races which 3rd parties need in order to build up momentum. I feel it's really important to the longevity of this country to be very careful about how we characterize 3rd party voting. While saying a 3rd party vote is a vote against Biden feels accurate, it's not, and it also diminishes the likelihood that other races with 3rd party candidates will be given worthy consideration.

Love, Kyle