Timothy P. Carney: Why I'm writing in McMullin

Source: Washington Examiner | November 2, 2016 | Timothy P. Carney

I am a Catholic, pro-life, libertarian populist, conservative who votes in Maryland. I consider it the least interesting part of politics to choose which of these politicians is the least objectionable candidate. I think reporting on them and putting their views and records in context is more interesting and important. But I love voting. I also believe in transparency, so here I will explain my vote.

I will be writing in Evan McMullin for president.

The simplest explanation is this: I find Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton abhorrent. I don’t want to associate myself with either of them, and I want to register a protest against Trump, specifically, in a conservative direction. I would vote Libertarian (the party in which I am registered), except that the Libertarian nominees oppose religious liberty.

I vote in Maryland, which Hillary Clinton will certainly win. That makes it easy to cast a protest vote and avoid lesser-of-two evil calculations. If I voted in a swing state, I would still cast a protest vote, however, because I can’t tell which of these authoritarian, untrustworthy, opaque, crony capitalist, liberal, New York millionaires is the greater evil.

I understand there are a hundred of conservative, moderate and libertarian counter-arguments to this position. So, while I don’t think I will convince many people — and that’s not even my aim here — I think it fair to lay out my thinking in detail. This article will piece together many of the arguments I’ve made over the past 9 months, to draw the map to my conclusion.

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  • Discussion
  • Consistent November 2, 2016 at 4:42 pm #11141

    Consistent November 2, 2016 at 5:42 pm #11144

    “If I were to write in Washington Examiner editor Phil Klein for president, in Maryland, it would get thrown into a nameless bucket of anonymous write-in candidates. But some people file paperwork to be certified write-ins. A write-in for them counts as a vote for that person.

    Evan McMullin is one such certified write-in in Maryland. So if I write-in Evan McMullin in Maryland, it will count as a conservative protest vote against unconservative Trump and anti-conservative Johnson-Weld.”

    ConservativeGranny November 2, 2016 at 8:17 pm #11152

    I sent in my ballot a few days ago and wrote in McMullin as well. He is a registered write-in in WI.

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