I didn’t bring this up in the piece, but I’m glad you did. The GOP and DNC have deliberately gone out of their way to make it harder for third-party and Independent candidates to get on the ballot, especially at the state and local levels. And I understand why they do that. Politically, it’s a very smart thing to do. But at the same time, you can’t go around trying to consolidate power for yourself at the expense of third parties and then get angry at third-party voters for refusing to support you in a close election. That just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. I mean, what other outcome could you possibly expect?

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read the piece, and also for leaving such a thoughtful comment! :)