Back in August, I wrote an article arguing for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s participation in national debates. My argument was that Americans should be exposed to as much political choice as possible given the profound undesirability of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The third party candidates never did get a chance to debate on the main stage, and in the end voters were exposed almost exclusively to Clinton and Trump, who respectively had 53 percent and 60 percent unfavorability ratings. Thus, it is not surprising that neither of them garnered more than 50 percent of the popular vote in last Tuesday’s election. Even though some voters might have used the write-in option in a seemingly silly manner to convey their frustration, these voters should not be shamed because they are still contributing to the democratic process.
Perhaps one of the stories to emerge from the election results is that Harambe, the 400-pound gorilla who was killed earlier this year saving a three-year-old boy in the Cincinnati Zoo, received 11,000 votes for president. This story has been proven false because 34 states require write-in candidates to file paperwork for their votes to count, and nine states do not permit write-in votes at all. This leaves only seven total states where a vote for Harambe could have been legitimate.
Voting for Harambe and other non-humans such as Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck, Goofy and Snoopy might appear to be a trivialization of democracy. Some of my peers on both ends of the political spectrum have accused such write-in voters of taking advantage of democracy and the fact that soldiers have fallen to preserve the sacred right to vote. Thus, it could seem disrespectful to the men and women who have given us that right to “waste” votes on individuals who are fictional, non-human or deceased.
However, it is precisely this form of political protest that makes American democracy so unique and so reverent. In as many as 22 countries across the globe, a total of 744 million people are required by law to vote. While this is not an inherently undemocratic requirement, it removes the sense of voluntary political participation that makes voting so special in the United States and other countries across Western Europe. When a citizen is required by the government to cast a vote, the meaning of that action loses a portion of its meaning, even if that vote is for a real politician.
While some might perceive the act of voting for nonsense characters as a trivialization of democracy, I perceive it as a legitimate form of democratic protest. Sure, there are much better ways to make a political protest through voting. Instead of voting for Trump or Clinton, a frustrated voter could have made a similar point by voting for Johnson, Stein or other prominent politicians such as Bernie Sanders or Mitt Romney. Yet, one of the primary axioms of American democracy is the ability to vote for whomever one desires, be they dead, fictional or non-human. If a voter feels so disgusted and so frustrated by the political situation they find themselves in, then it is their right, if not their duty, to express that even in the most dramatic and seemingly juvenile ways. It is not a surprise then that write-in votes skyrocketed in this election as compared to the 2012 election in some states, such as Maryland and Wisconsin, which are normally viewed as prevalently Democratic strongholds.
America’s democratic tradition affords all of her citizens the ability to have a say in choosing a positive path forward. Considering the numerous unfavorable characteristics of both of this cycle’s major party nominees, the degree to which voters sought alternative options, best underscored by the failure of both to reach 50 percent of the popular vote total, is not surprising. While it might seem unflattering for citizens to cast their vote for an individual who does not actually exist, it is important to recognize the value of the right to political protest. If we demonize disillusioned voters for acting in such a manner, then we consequently fail to recognize the grievances they have with a political situation that is less than desired for.
Jesse Berman is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at j.berman@cavalierdaily.com.
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