The Power of the 3rd Party Voter
In this post, I want to explore two topics:
- Wasting the third party vote
- My impact on the 2020 election
My reasons for becoming a Libertarian are a little out of scope for this article but after spending time on the campaign trail for the 2020 US Senate for the state of North Carolina election, one of the most common statements I heard while meeting people across North Carolina included the following:
- I really want to vote for you, but I don’t want to waste my vote.
- I believe you are the right person for the job BUT I don’t want to waste my vote.
- I would vote for you if you were a Democrat.
- I would vote for you if you were a Republican.
- If you are not a Republican or Democrat, you can’t win. Why wastes your time?
These questions or statements are not crazy. Depending on your experience or where you live; these are quite valid. In truth, ever since the Clinton administration (IMHO), politics have become more like Super Bowl contents as opposed to making informed decisions, people pick their team whether they agree with most of the platform or not. See my previous post on the affects of social media and gun violence and you can probably use the same argument for any number of topics.
So let's get into it .....
Read moreAbout
Shannon Bray
Background
Shannon Bray was born in South Louisiana and graduated from Thibodaux High.
After taking an initial stab at college, Shannon enlisted in the United States Navy.
Shannon Bray currently works for the Department of Defense (DoD) and lives in Apex, NC.
His wife Stephanie and him share three wonderful kids who attend school in Wake County.
Shannon enjoys scuba diving; the North Carolina coast is rich in both history and sea life.
Education
Missouri Science and Technology - Ph.D. Student in Computer Science; focusing on national defense and election security.
University of Delaware - Master of Science: Cybersecurity
Colorado State University Global Campus - Bachelor of Science: Information Technology
Arapahoe Community College - Associate of Science and Associate of Art: History
Professional Career
Shannon Bray has worked in various information technology roles and has become a leading expert in his field. Shannon believes that his expertise can benefit law makers who may be too distant from technology to understand how to incorporate it properly and how to generate laws around cyberspace.
Shannon has presented at many large technology conferences and has written several books and articles on technology. Shannon has recently released his latest book on cryptography which focuses on information security and the privacy of data.
Community Service
Shannon Bray serves the state of North Carolina by actively participating in the following government services:
US Naval Sea Cadets - LCDR Shannon Bray, NSCC, presides over the units in North Carolina as the Regional Director.
Navy League - Shannon is currently the president of the Triangle chapter.
US Coast Guard Auxiliary - Shannon Bray volunteers his time to help the US Coast Guard benefit from his years of IT expertise.
Cyber Patriot - Shannon serves as a coach for the Cyber Patriot program.
Political Affiliation
Shannon is a member of the Libertarian party.
Like most Americans, Shannon understands that policies on both sides can offer value to our country and community. We have more in common than different. It is important to find our similarities and work from there.
