This year, there’s an organized way ( www.swapyourvote.org ) to use the Electoral College to serve real democracy while dodging the forever angst of the “lesser evil” nightmare.  

Especially during Florida 2000, Ohio 2004, Wisconsin-Michigan-Pennsylvania 2016, and America 2020, progressive voters have faced the inevitable circular firing squad.

With regular Democrats facing the likes of George W. Bush and Donald Trump, John McCain and Mitt Romney, the idea of “throwing away” a vote on a third party candidate has roused bitter anger.

This year has been no exception.

Without suffering through the polarizing details, I’ve managed to avoid this dilemma by exploiting the insane Electoral College, which should have been abolished a long time ago.

From 2000 to 2016, when I voted in swing state Ohio, I’ve tracked down fellow progressive activists to vote for third party candidates.   

Thus my partners in “safe states” like Massachusetts and DC were able to “throw their votes away” on third party candidates while I swallowed much of my pride to vote for Democrats with whom I deeply disagreed.

So neither of us was entirely happy.  But both of us rested somewhat easier.

We also avoided the horrific, endless, mind-numbing debates surrounding the choice of evils.

Likewise 2020, when I voted from the “safe state” of California.

In 2024, we now have an actual website to facilitate the deal:  swapyourvote.org

Through it I’ve found someone in Pennsylvania who says she’ll cast her vote for Kamala Harris while I’ll put in mine for a 3d party outlier.

Not perfect.  Unpalatable to many.  But entirely legal.  

Elon Musk is out there using his billions to outright buy a Trump Dictatorship.

In our vote swap, no money will be changing hands.  

And this “transaction” will involve no written contracts or commitments.

But based on trust, my fellow swapper and I will avoid the bitter recriminations that have wasted so much of the progressive movement’s time, energy, solidarity and sanity.

So here’s the website:  www.swapyourvote.org .    Time is short.  

Find your partner, make good use of the much-hated Electoral College...and maybe our democracy—and our progressive movement--- will survive this latest electoral test.