March madness
finding a cinderella candidate after your presidential bracket goes bust

It's not official yet, but keep reading if this potential general election has you tearing up your presidential election bracket.

March 23, 2016 - ​It’s not fair: Michigan State wasn’t supposed to crash and burn in the first round; Gonzaga wasn’t supposed to make it to the Sweet 16; and what the hell happened to Northern Iowa?! They lost a 12-point lead in the last 44 seconds. Really?! But the NCAA tournament rarely goes as we’d predict, and the question we’re left with after our office pool bracket goes bust is what now? Whom should we root for?
 
Much in the same way, a bleary-eyed nation is looking at a likely general election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (we aren't trying to pick a fight with Bernie Sanders supporters or Republican establishment folks, we are just pointing out that sportsbooks are picking Trump as a 1/4 favorite and Clinton as a whopping 1/20 front runner). It’s hard to conceive of anyone who had this bracket in their office pool last summer. The sharpes might have picked Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, but they also likely had her Republican rival as Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker or Jeb Bush. If anyone had had the temerity to pick Trump as the Republican nominee, they were probably trying to shoot the moon and also picked his nemesis, Rosie O’Donnell, as the Democratic nominee. 
 
One of the problems with having such an unexpected pair of rivals in the general election is that both candidates have very low favorability ratings. Historically low, in fact. It’s almost as if Grayson Allen’s Duke Blue Devils are squaring off in the championship game against Christian Laettner’s 1992 Duke team. This problem has led many to speculate that disaffected voters might stay home on election day or find a 3rd party to back instead.
 
At Ballotball.com, we’re passionate about voting so we can’t get behind the idea of staying home on November 8. Instead, we’re going to help you out by giving you a quick survey of the other teams left on the bracket. If you don’t think you can pull a lever or punch a card for Clinton or Trump, you might consider these 3rd party candidates instead.

the "I never took the pledge" Region

The Feel the bern region

Are you a disaffected Republican or someone who is offended by the words that have come out of Donald Trump's mouth? Perhaps one of these conservative political parties will interest you.

Option 1: Unnamed contender put up by the Republican Establishment – If Donald Trump succeeds in becoming the Republican nominee, some party elders have said they will tap someone like Rick Perry or Tom Coburn to run as a 3rd party candidate. The problem is that both parties have worked for years to make getting your name on the ballot an incredibly difficult task, meaning that this stealth Republican nominee would have to actually join a different party that had already gathered enough signatures to be on the ballot.

Option 2: Libertarian Party(on the ballot in 34 states) – If you liked Rand Paul, you are going to love Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. The Libertarian Party promises to shrink government, cut taxes, and reduce America’s military footprint around the world.
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Option 3: Constitution Party(on the ballot in 12 states) – Though they won’t have a candidate until April, the Constitution Party’s seven principles include securing the border, deference to state’s rights, being pro life and anti gay marriage, and protecting religious freedom.

The middle way region

Are you a member of the 99% or a liberal who just doesn’t dig the Clinton dynasty? Perhaps one of these progressive political parties will interest you.


Option 1: Green Party(on the ballot in 18 states) – Ralph Nader was sooooo 2000. The Green Party is currently led by Jill Stein, whose platform includes encouraging renewable energy, raising wages, and reducing military intervention abroad.

Option 2: Working Families Party(on the ballot in 4 states) – It’s unclear who will be the Working Families candidate in 2016 because the party has already endorsed Bernie Sanders. Should he win the Democratic nomination, perhaps the party will not field a candidate. But in any case, the party favors affordable housing, criminal justice reform, and debt-free college.

Option 3: Peace and Freedom Party(on the ballot in 2 states) – It’s not yet clear who the nominee will be, but whoever it is, they will carry the banner of a party that calls for full employment, civil rights, and democratic socialism.

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the protest vote region

Are you someone who feels stuck between conservative and liberal ideologies? Do you want to vote for a party that prides itself on finding a middle way? Perhaps one of these moderate parties will interest you.

Option 1: Reform Party(on the ballot in 3 states) – Ralph Nader was soooo 2004. The Reform Party has backed Nader, professional wrestler Jesse Ventura during his run for Governor of Minnesota, and was founded by Texas billionaire Ross Perot. The party doesn’t take a position on social issues; instead, it focuses on economic issues like pursuing a balanced budget, securing energy independence, and campaign finance reform. The party has yet to select a candidate for 2016.

​Option 2: Natural Law Party(on the ballot in 2 states) – This party has been in decline ever since it appeared on the ballot in 48 states in 1996. However, it’s still around and still calling for “conflict free politics” through transcendental meditation.

Are you actually a Republican or Democrat but just want to vent your frustration over your available options? Rather than staying home on Election Day, perhaps one of these protest vote options will interest you.
         
Option 1: Leave it blank – If you really can’t stomach voting for anyone on the ballot, you might want to leave the box for President empty. But you can still weigh in on your Congressional representatives and your state and local races.
         
Option 2: Write in Mickey Mouse - Since receiving his first vote at the age of 4 during the 1932 New York Mayoral race, the Disney mascot has become the favorite write-in protest candidate in elections all over the world. For example, voters in Georgia have continued to write in Mickey despite a 1985 law specifically banning the cartoon mouse from the ballot. The electorate of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin loved Mickey so much in 2008 that he received "four votes for coroner, two for state representative and one each for governor, clerk of courts, and county clerk." Other protest candidates include Vermin Supreme, “Your Mother,” and “a bag of rocks,” but Mickey is the most popular. If you’d like to hear the story of what happens when a protest candidate actually wins an election, check out this episode of the Ballotball podcast, which explores how Emperor Palpatine was elected to the city council in Odessa, Ukraine.