This is Hear Me Out. I'm Celeste Hedley. We are looking down the barrel of a very, very close presidential election, and of course, we've all learned that polling doesn't necessarily predict the future. Long-time listeners will know how I feel about

horse-race journalism, but a close election feels like a safe bet. And as always, every vote counts.

You've probably heard someone say or thought yourself that voting for third party candidates is a wasted vote.

They certainly can't win a general election, but was that ever the point?

We'd be better off with some form of multi-party democracy.

But if we don't have that, my argument is that we need third parties to play this kind of disruptive role that they

used to be much better at than they are today.

Bernard Tamas, an expert on third parties, joins Hear Me Out in Just a Moment.

Welcome back to Hear Me Out.

I'm Celeste Hedley.

Six out of ten Americans say we need a third option

in the polling booth.

Most of us are frustrated with the two-party system,

but when people choose to vote for a third party candidate,

they're often accused of wasting their vote or

taking votes away from the candidate they would likely prefer. It is a fact that

third party candidates can't win the presidency right now. It has been more than half a century since a third party

candidate won even one state in a presidential election. But does that mean those campaigns

are a waste of time, money, and votes.

Our guest today argues no, and that we need to change our metrics for success when we talk

about third parties.

Bernard Tamas is a writer and associate professor at Valdosta State University and an expert on the American

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