Thirty-five percent of Americans said they are considering voting for a third party presidential candidate, according to an ABC News and SSRS poll released earlier this month. Many Bloomington residents are part of this number.
Jack Labelle, 20, said he is not happy with either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, so he has turned to third party options such as Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party.
“I’ve considered voting for Gary Johnson many times,” Labelle said. “I’ll probably be voting for him.”
Johnson was the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate in 2012. His platform is centered on cutting wasteful spending, restricting the federal tax code and implementing term limits in government and creating jobs, according to Johnson’s website.
Stein was the Green Party’s presidential candidate in 2012. Her campaign is focused on the Green New Deal, an effort to transition to 100 percent clean renewable energy by 2030 and invest in public transportation and sustainable agriculture, according to Stein’s website.
Labelle is part of the 57 percent of Americans who are dissatisfied with the choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, according to an ABC News and Washington Post poll.
Denny Ray, 48, said the choice between Clinton and Trump is dismal; he called Trump racist and Hillary experienced but a crook. Despite his dislike for the two main party candidates, Ray said he did not know about Johnson or Stein and will likely vote for Clinton.
Shelly Arthur, 51, said she does not want to vote for a third party candidate, but she is considering writing in Bernie Sanders.
Jerrell Allen, 34, said he is in favor of a viable third party candidate, but due to the high stakes of the upcoming presidential election, he cannot waste his vote on a third party candidate.
In the 2012 election, Johnson and Stein won .99 and .36 percent of the popular vote respectively, according to the US Election Atlas.
“I’m voting against my primary opponent than for any particular candidate in this election,” Allen said.
Fifty-nine percent of voters said they are worried that votes for a third party candidate will lead to their least preferred candidate winning the presidency, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll.
“Maybe in the future I’d be more open to a third party candidate, but it’s just not viable right now,” Allen said.
