Go Vote, America.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s election day here in the U.S. and so I’m begging each and every one of you who is registered to go vote. Vote your conscience, whether they be republican, democrat, third party or otherwise. Go vote even if there are no candidates you like. Get out there, get your ballot and do a write-in. At least that way you send a message to the candidates. “Look, I was registered. I got up and went to my local polling place and I wrote someone in. You may think my vote was wasted, but in coming out today and casting my ballot for Mickey Mouse, I’m letting you know that I had every opportunity to vote for you, but YOU failed to convince me that ANY of you were fit to lead.” At least that way, Unwanted Winner X won’t be able to claim a mandate.

And as for the notion that voting third party helps the wrong guy win, let me enlighten you. Most of you don’t live in Swing States. That means one candidate or another will almost certainly win in your state regardless of how you vote. The electoral collage is a winner-take-all affair, so what’s the harm in voting third party? Unwanted Winner X was going to get all of those electoral votes anyway. If you vote for someone you disagree with just to try to keep Unwanted Winner X out of office, you’re not saying “I think Unwanted Winner Y is better.” You’re saying, “I think Unwanted Winner Y is right.” Which you don’t. Besides, if you vote third party, at least next time, the Losing Party will see that a significant number of people believe one way and will create policies to reflect your voting tendencies because politicians will do anything if they see there are votes to be gained for it. Or in a perfect world, those of you voting your conscience instead of your fears will show, at least in your state, that third party candidates can draw in voters and that they are a viable option, thus bringing us one step closer to fixing this broken two-party system.

For those of you in Swing States, I still say vote your conscience, not your fears. Again, politicians are especially desperate for your vote. Let them know where you truly stand (as opposed to where you’d rather not stand), and they’ll come courting you. Why? Because they desperately need you four years from now.

Get out there. Vote. Vote right. Vote your conscience, even if your conscience says don’t vote for any of them. That’s what the write-in area is for. Silence is tacit approval to anything they do. Speak up. Vote. Let them know who gave them their job.

To those readers in other countries, I urge your to urge people you know in this country to get off the computer and vote. It matters to them and it matters to you.

As for Ten Facts Tuesday, it is being postponed, at least for a while, so I can share ten facts about the winner once he (or she, in the unlikely but wonderful event a third party wins it all) is declared.

You have been informed.