There's an ideal world we want (that might never happen) and there's the real world. We live in the latter. Voting for the 3rd party is effectively voting one of the big 2.

Also, I find it curious that while our community has generally settled on "incremental improvement" approach, we expect different from our governments and want the "big bang" changes. Then we are surprised when things get worse.

“We live in the latter. Voting for the 3rd party is effectively voting one of the big 2.”

It’s not. It sends a signal that there is a desire for something else.

A signal to whom? Is that signal strong enough to persist in memory until the next election cycle?

What’s the alternative? Choose between two corrupt parties?

I don't know, I'm just questioning the quality and magnitude of the signal sent by voting for a third party.

The public memory is so short and so malleable, people forget things week over week let alone the entirety of an election cycle.

The issue with third party voting is a classic case of the problem of coordinated collective action.

Would-be voters don't participate out of perceived futility or participate in the dual party system for similar reasons.

I don't know how to solve it but there does seem to be growing agitation in the electorate with the current system as it stands, with the Electoral College under public scrutiny and with media support. To me that is a signal that times are changing.