Feature photo by Makayla Boling
Story by Alyssa Williams
As the election draws closer, the debate over third-party voting grows in size, MTSU students included.
In an increase from previous years, 63% of U.S. adults in 2024 agree that a third party is needed because the Republican and Democratic parties do not suffice in representing the American people, according to Gallup News.
When faced with the choices of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, many Americans are at a loss of who to vote for, and they are tired of picking the “less of two evils.” However, many believe that voting third party is effectively throwing away a vote.
The big three main third-party candidates, according to the New York Times, are currently Jill Stein with the Green Party, Chase Oliver with the Libertarian Party and Cornel West, who is unaffiliated.
Another large candidate was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but he recently suspended his presidential campaign and backed Trump. He removed his name from the battleground states, so his name may still appear on some ballots.
However, at MTSU, he still garners ample support. MTSU audio production student Xander Fox still supports Kennedy, even though he dropped out of the race. Fox believes the main Republican and Democratic candidates govern mainly based on the corporations that fund them, not what the people need.
Fox said Kennedy had policy points to place limitations on corporations and advocated for the environment more than Harris and Trump. Kennedy also was against funding wars in foreign places. He liked these aspects about Kennedy, as he did not feel like his opinions were represented by the main candidates.
“The whole point of the third party is to go around the system,” Fox said. “Either way, if you vote left or right, you’re going to be voting for a worse system that doesn’t benefit the people.”
Katrina Aguilar is a political science major who is currently working as a campaign treasurer for Luis Mata, a Democrat candidate running against Mike Sparks in District 49 for Tennessee State House. While she is not against voting third party, she said it currently is not a viable option for Americans. She believes that voters have to do things that favor the system until they are able to change it.
“As a Democrat and someone who aligns mostly with the democratic party, voting third party would be more detrimental to the election because people who would typically vote for Kamala Harris are taking those votes away, and giving the election to Donald Trump,” Aguilar said.
When asked about his thoughts on if he was throwing away his vote, Fox laughed.
“You are,” Fox said. “There’s no way around it, but I would argue that you’re throwing away your vote for left and right, too, because they’re for the corporations, not the people. If you vote third party, you’re voting for change.”
Even though Kennedy may not be on the ballot for Tennessee, Fox plans on voting for him anyway. If he is not on the ballot, he plans on writing him in.
A large part of the reason Aguilar believes Harris is losing support is because of the conflict in Palestine.
One thing that Aguilar and Fox both agreed on is the need for change.
“I would love to see other systems implemented, but Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Aguilar said. “My advice to people who want to vote third party is to start early. Don’t just get invigorated just in election year. The second 2025 hits, we should already be organizing and finding candidates that align with our beliefs.”
Editor’s note: This article previously included a photo of Luis Mata’s campaign team. Mata is running on the Democrat ticket, not running as an independent.
Alyssa Williams is the Managing Editor for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact the News Editor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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