New Parties
✅ Should you vote for them?
My vote is what is technically known as a “Floating Vote”. I’m an “Independent”, which means that I’m not affiliated to any political party or group. I even like to think of myself as a “Polling Booth Independent”, which means I consider myself free to change my mind right up to the point at which I physically cast my vote.
Given what I’ve told you about myself, you’d probably feel that I’m more likely than others to vote for “non-major” parties, or even “new” parties. And you’d be right.
That said, I’m not one of those people who recklessly “throw-away” their vote. I have a checklist (of sorts) and before I vote for anyone or any party, I make sure they check all the (or as many) boxes.
Here’s my checklist.
✅ Is the party actually serious about independent politics? This question is important, because there are many parties which are either A) proxies for another party (usually a “major” party), or B) they just want “ran for president” on their CVs.
✅ Does the party have a clear and well-defined platform? It’s important that the party has a clear understanding of what they stand for and what they aim to achieve. This should be more than just a few broad strokes, but a detailed plan of action.
A “platform” refers to the set of principles, positions, and policies that the party supports. Often it takes the form of a formal document outlining the party’s stance on various issues, such as economy, education, healthcare, foreign policy, and environment, among others.
A test I like to use is, “Can I summarize the party’s platform in one sentence?”
✅ Are the party’s goals realistic and achievable? While it’s good to have ambition, it’s also important that the party’s goals are grounded in reality. They should have a clear path to achieving their objectives.
With new parties, I take a long view, and that means they don’t need to “win” their first election. However, they should be able to put on a reasonable performance, and gain, say at least 5% of the popular vote. Any new party should have a clear strategy on how to reach this number. And communicating this arithmetic is as important as communicating policy.
✅Does the party have a strong and competent leadership? The party’s leaders should be capable, experienced, and trustworthy. They should be able to effectively communicate the party’s platform and rally support.
Is the leader someone I’d like to have as my boss? Do the other members of the party look up to them for vision and clarity?
✅ Does the party have a strong base of support? Even the best party with the best ideas won’t get anywhere if they don’t have any support. Look at the party’s membership numbers, their presence in local communities, and their performance in past elections. Even the newest party should have some sort of base.
✅ Does the party have a plan for growth? A new party won’t stay new forever. They should have a plan for how they’re going to expand their base, win more votes and seats, and ultimately, make a difference in the political landscape. These details must be communicated to voters.
✅ Does the party align with my personal values and beliefs? While this is subjective, it’s important that the party’s platform aligns with your own values and beliefs. After all, you’re voting for who you believe will best represent you.
This is also one of the more difficult factors to accurately measure. Politicians in new parties are politicians non-the-less. And politicians, even ones that can’t get votes, are good at deceiving voters.
✅ Has the party demonstrated integrity and transparency? The party should be open about their funding, their decision-making processes, and their actions. They should be accountable to their members and to the public.
Also, this same information should answer other important questions. For example, a party with a presidential election budget of 1 million Rupees, as no chance in hell of getting 5% of the vote, let alone winning. Regardless of how transparent they are about their funds and funders.
✅ Does the party encourage and facilitate participation from its members and the public? A healthy political party is one that encourages debate, welcomes new ideas, and gives its members a say in its direction.
✅ Finally, can I see myself being proud to say I voted for this party? This is a “gut-check” question. If the answer is yes, then it’s likely that this party is a good fit.
That’s the list. I’d be curious to know about the questions on your checklist.
While I billed this as a checklist for “new” parties, there is no reason why I or you shouldn’t use it for “old” parties as well. In fact, given that “old” parties are more likely to get voted it, we should probably apply more checks to them.
