by Steven Nemerovski

Are you a Republican in one of the very “blue” states such as California, New York or Illinois?
Or, perhaps you’re are a Democrat trapped in a very “red” state such as Texas, Indiana or South Carolina. Let’s face it, when it comes to the electoral map, your vote for President is about as meaningful as another drop of water in the ocean.

What’s a voter to do?

You could take the ostrich approach and not vote. Over 40 percent of the eligible voters already avoid their citizenship duties, so what’s one less voter and one less vote. But, even if you find the choice of Clinton v. Trump historically distasteful, there are likely many races and ballot initiatives worthy of the effort. Choosing to not vote is never the best answer.

If you’re fed up with the dysfunction, the polarization and the lack of civil discourse, there is a better way. Blue State Republicans and Red State Democrats can shake up their party by voting for any candidate but their party’s candidate. Send a message that it’s time to fix the system and start solving problems.

Blue State Republicans: Don’t vote for Trump!
Red State Democrats: Don’t vote for Clinton!

Imagine if the vote for Clinton drops below 10% in Texas or the vote for Trump drops below 10% in his home state of New York. In fact, let’s get to 0% in both cases. That is a wake-up call the parties cannot ignore.

Also, if you choose to vote for a third party candidate, you will increase that party’s chances of gaining ballot access in 2016 and beyond. Many third party candidates are frustrated by incumbency protection legislation that makes it difficult to gain ballot access, while draining time and resources from their campaigns. But, a significant number of states have qualifying criteria based on the presidential vote and, in most states, the qualifying percentage is 5% or less.

To gain perspective on where your state stands in the political spectrum, there are many websites that continuously handicap the odds of the vote outcome on a state by state basis. One of the more user friendly is FiveThirtyEight. It is probably safe to acknowledge that any state currently projected to yield a ten percent or greater margin of victory will stay that way.

Further information on the 2016 Presidential protest vote is available on facebook at Protest Vote 2016. Make the 2016 Presidential Protest Vote!!

STEVEN NEMEROVSKI is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University with the School of International and Public Affairs. He was the Parliamentarian for the Illinois House of Representatives, Special Counsel to The Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, Special Counsel to the Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools, and outside general counsel to various state agencies in Illinois. He served as campaign manager for three campaigns for candidates seeking election to the Illinois House. He is currently the President of Knell Consulting, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in advocacy at the state level in Illinois and at the Federal level in D.C. He hosts the “None of The Above” television programming on Grassroots TV in Aspen, Colorado. Learn more at ThirdParty.today and NoneOfTheAbove.us.