Libertarian Discussion

That's not how voting works.

If Trump wins

Trump will win my state, that's pretty much a guarantee. So far, there's no realistic challenger to get the conservative vote in my state. Whether I vote for or against him has absolutely no bearing on national election results. I'll get far better results by campaigning for whoever the libertarian is than campaigning for Biden. That's a political reality in my state.

My vote for a third party indicates that people want another choice. People here claim to be libertarian, at least enough for Mike Lee (one of my senators) to give lip service to it (but he's not a libertarian by any stretch of the imagination). Most people I talk to want less government, hence why they vote Republican (they think Rs actually want smaller government).

So my vote for the Libertarian Party gives people who more clearly approximate my beliefs more clout, which means more of the "libertarians" in my area may consider voting for them instead of the Republican. It's literally the best option I have for political change without actually running you office or campaigning for a candidate (I have young kids and a full-time job, so neither is particularly feasible).

So no, get out of here with your "a vote for X is really a vote for Y," that's just nonsensical, especially in my area.