Is this logic flawed? Obviously in swing races, vote how it’s needed, but if it’s probably going to be a landslide, why not vote for a third party? Some regions even allow for multiple party representation if enough people show interest, so it could be doing future good (if you think more parties is better representation)
I mean the vote has no practical effect in either case but differs in the message it sends.
With Trump on the ballot, supporting his main opponent to signal opposition to his candidacy was more important than supporting third party candidates, which I found fairly uninspiring in any case.
Why would supporting Biden be showing more of signal than voting for someone else? If I’m in a state that is going to be for Trump since it’s been Republican for every election since the party’s inception, what is the benefit in sending the message I voted for Biden vs John Doe in the gray party?
Because people look at the popular vote totals. Generally they don’t really look at the .3% the gray party got. But again, I think it’s all about what signals you want to send. Unfortunately, the electoral college makes it so most votes have little practical impact even in close races.