‘Winner-take-all system’ pushed some Ohioans to vote for third-party candidates in 2024

By Michael Neenan/Kent State NewsLab

Over 2.5 million people voted for a third-party or independent candidate in the 2024 presidential race, equating to around 2% of the votes cast this November.

Akron resident Lee Ann Smith voted for Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver because she felt that there were not enough political parties to choose from.

“I wanted more parties to be represented more than I was voting for Chase Oliver,” she said. “I knew he wouldn’t get enough votes to win, but I just feel like we need more parties.”

This story was originally published by the Kent State NewsLab, a collaborative news outlet publishing journalism by Kent State students.