Both Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson should be allowed to share the debate stage with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump this month and beyond. Both presidential hopefuls are on enough ballots in enough states to actually win the presidency and according to some polls, are hitting the 15% mark necessary for a candidate to be included in the debates. In the national polls necessary to secure this 15%, some only give Clinton and Trump as options, making them disproportionately favored towards the two party system. With both on the ballot in 40+ states, and approval ratings exponentially increasing, Stein and Johnson have enough campaign momentum to make them worthy of presenting themselves to the American people and actually have a shot at gaining ground by finally reaching the masses.
There are almost 320 million people in this country and 2 political notions to represent their beliefs, and both have major problems in representing these beliefs admirably. It’s no wonder that half of Americans don’t even vote, and yet over 40% are registered independent. In this consideration, there are far too many independents out there to not have any representation in the general election. Throw in a couple worthy options, you will see an increase in voter turnout. When people feel they have had this primary stolen from them, from the fiasco with the DNC to the grim Republican options, another choice must be offered. This election has been so riddled with political dysfunction that this really should be the year to at last hear more than two disheartening sides, a fair fight maybe.
This struggle has been going on for a while, but another party has never really had a true shot to win in the past. I mean, the stuff with McCarthy was kinda a disaster. And Ross Perot? He was the last independent allowed to debate, but he was better liked when played by Dana Carvey on SNL. Jill Stein did run in 2012, but she was nowhere near as widely known, and with the popularity of Bernie Sanders, coupled with the unpopularity of both major candidates, what better time to have a third and fourth party re-engage the frustrated, disenfranchised American voters that Bernie left behind? Make America Vote Again! Voting independent need not just be about making a statement; if people get to watch a true debate this year, those otherwise unaffected voters could help to sway the election. Side note: Shouldn’t Trump do what Reagan did in 1980 and support an independent debating? The Donald is always saying how rigged the two party system is and that politics as usual isn’t working, that’s his thing, so surely he should be all about this, at least for Gary Johnson.
I fully understand the 2 path road we’ve been on, it’s convenient and always a little messed up, especially under the surface, But what if we could have someone we actually wanted, that didn’t have to adhere to these dark party restrictions; someone who could bring together people on both sides, until we realize there are no sides, just divisions used to distract us and pin us against each other, 99% vs. 1%, not 50% vs 50%. This has been a crazy race, and people are fed up. Things can’t change in the way we need them to within a corrupt two party system, they haven’t been, and when you get beyond that machine that keeps holding us back, weighing us down with a comforting “that’s just the way things are”, the possibilities exponentially grow. So we shouldn’t give up or forget what we discovered, especially now, moment to demand justice for a questionable primary with a fair presidential election. When we vote, and who we vote for, shows the powers that be that we’re paying attention. Our voices have been silenced for too long and this letter attempts to address and amend this voter suppression and disengagement by insisting that all four candidates be allowed to debate. I thank you for this consideration and hope this is the election where America votes again.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
