Why Do People Vote for Candidates They Don’t Like?

Sometimes people vote for someone they don’t like because there’s a bigger enemy. Imagine you’re picking between three kids in the class: Billy, Sarah, and Tom. You really hate Billy, but you think Sarah is the worst of all. If you pick Tom, who’s okay, then at least Billy won’t win. It's not about liking someone, it's about beating someone else.

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Examples

  1. A kid who hates Billy votes for Tom just to keep Sarah out.
  2. Someone prefers chocolate ice cream but votes for vanilla to stop strawberry from winning.
  3. You hate Candidate A but choose Candidate C because you think Candidate B is the worst.

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