Now that the election season which inspired the writing of this article has passed, I feel less like dirty discussing it. Less like I'm doing politics and more like actually thinking.

First off I recommend reading these three articles by Eliezer and paying special attention to the last one:

• The American System and Misleading Labels
• The Two-Party Swindle
• Stop Voting For Nincompoops

In response to the last article on the list (which I recommend) Robin Hanson responds:

You say don't try to use game theory to figure out how to best "make a difference" but admit you will have virtually no influence in this election and instead just vote for the person you like best, among the candidates listed on the ballot. But why not continue with this logic, and "write-in" the person in the world you like best? Why not write them in even if write-ins aren't officially allowed in this election? Why not skip the official elections and make up your own polling place to vote at? Why not just declare your vote for them in a blog post?

Why indeed?