I was a Florida voter who voted for Nader in 2000 in my first election. I disagreed with Bill Clinton's NAFTA and felt he wasnt addressing global warming or social injustices. I disliked George Bush Sr even more, but didn't see Clinton/Gore as good enough. I was going to "vote my conscience." I also felt that Bush Jr. Was such a dope with no actual platform that there was no way he would win.

Democrats were riding a budget surplus and Gore was running on fiscal responsibility. Gore looked like a leader and Bush looked like a dumb daddy's boy who wouldn't have a mic if it wasnt for his daddy.

Geb Bush effectively stole the election for his brother because the votes in Florida were so close and Bush Jr. Was elected.

At the time I said to myself, "ahh, 4 years of slightly worse president... what's the worst that could happen."

Well, 9-11 happened with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld at the wheel.

Thousands of american soldiers died, SUVs became the new standard vehicle, oil and gas exploration exploded, millions of innocent civilians died, the PATRIOT act was drafted and passed legalizing warrantless wiretapping and tourture, and political discourse turned to utterly useless debates over what to call french fries. FOX news became the new american standard for news, rendering the populous dumber than ever and trillions of dollars were wasted killing people and our climate.

I attended protests throughout and never felt like I made even the faintest dent against the machine...

Obama, for all his flaws, felt like a gift from God after the hell of Bush Jr.

I agree with many of the others. Focus on getting ranked choice voting in your area. Try to get third parties into the debates. But actually voting for a third party is useless until we get ranked choice.