If a 3rd party candidate gets electoral votes, they'll find him or her some electors to vote them. After all, if you get the largest plurality in a state, some supporter's gonna be willing to make an expense-paid trip to pull that lever. It hasn't happened since 1968, when segregationist George Wallace won 5 Southern (of course) states. (A decade later, he had a religious and political conversion, denounced his former ways, apologized publicly, and became a champion of civil rights. And if it was an act, it was something he kept up in word and deed until his death 20 years later.)

Unfortunately, Stein, like most 3rd party candidates (including Johnson the Libertarian) doesn't have really great qualifications or a deep understanding of "the system"*. Perhaps this is a self-fulfilling prophesy thing, since "everyone knows" that a 3rd party candidate can't win, no one who wants to make a concrete, actual, not-just-by-"influencing the debate" difference in politics chooses anything but R or D when selecting a party to affiliate with.

John Oliver has an interesting take on both Stein and Johnson here.


BTW, I don't doubt the sincerity of either Stein or Johnson, I just don't think either one should be president. They could -- and perhaps should -- try for mayor of a large city that's had a series of disappointing chief executives. If it works out, go for bigger. If not, at least you had a Rob Ford of a good time.

*Whether one considers this an asset (a badge of outsiderism) or a liability (naivete) is of course largely dependent on one's personal views.