[Video] To the Point Episode 14: Durham Early Voting - Make It Count!

Video Details:

In the 14th episode of To the Point, Wes Platt, editor and publisher of Southpoint Access, talks about the motivations behind third-party voting ahead of the start of early voting for the general election in Durham!

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Video Transcript:

Hi, neighbors! I’m Wes Platt, editor and publisher of Southpoint Access, and this is To the Point.

Early voting starts in Durham next week, on Oct. 17. It’s not my place to tell you how to vote, but I know some folks insist on voting third party because they’ve got this idealistic notion that it could, at the very least, make the Republican and Democratic parties adjust their agendas or, at most, revolutionize our electoral system.

And, let me tell you, the chances of a third-party vote are as likely to accomplish either of those ends as it would be for you to stand on the Howard Frankland bridge in Tampa during Hurricane Milton, shouting Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer, and me hearing you all the way up in the nosebleeds at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

Even if a freakishly large number of people somehow elected a non-traditional party candidate as U.S. president, that person would still have to govern with houses of Congress run by Republicans or Democrats. The chances of their agenda getting much traction would seem vanishingly small unless third-party fans manage to simultaneously elect majorities into the House and Senate.

I know some folks are voting third-party to avoid committing to the guy who stole state secrets, makes uncomfortably regular phone calls to a Russian dictator, got convicted for dozens of felonies, molested women, and, oh yeah, inspired an actual insurrection at our nation’s Capitol that some people would like us to forget ever happened – or to the not-white woman who has served as vice president for the past four years without going through even a single impeachment. I get it. Maybe that lets you sleep at night, knowing you voted your conscience. But don’t try to convince me that it’s really because you want the system to change. After all, every vote cast for a third, fourth, fifth, sixth-party candidate is a vote drained from one of the big two, which makes it more likely that either Trump or Harris wins.

I can’t tell you how to vote, but – no matter how you vote – I want to make sure you DO vote, and vote the full ballot. When you vote, like everyone else, you stand alone in the booth to fill out that ballot. Be honest with yourself about the choices you make.

Thanks for watching. If you haven’t subscribed to Southpoint Access yet, we’ve got 25 slots available for discount codes that are good for 50% off the $5 monthly subscription fee! Use code SODUPOSSE2024. For the month of October, we’ve also got a 10% discount available to Southpoint Access advertisers who use code FallForward2024 – just 10 slots for that. If you’re with a religious or nonprofit organization, reach out to me at southpointaccessnews@gmail.com for a code to get a 50% discount on advertising.

Take care, neighbors. See you next time on To the Point.