We knew this day was coming, but now it’s official: American Elect has officially closed its primary season, without selecting a candidate. The would-be third party’s primary should have officially ended May 15, but perhaps in a last-ditch effort for a savior candidate to come forward (why weren’t you listening, Tom Friedman?), the group extended the deadline. A whole two days, it turns out. Per a spokesperson’s e-mail: “[The] rules, as developed in consultation with the Americans Elect Delegates, are clear. As of this week, no candidate achieved the national support threshold required to enter the Americans Elect Online Convention in June. The primary process for the Americans Elect nomination has come to an end.”
Some might say Americans Elect failed (and expensively) in its mission of letting the American people truly decide what they want out of their politicians, of giving voice to those who’ve been lost in the political dialogue. But we disagree: In choosing no one, Americans Elect reflected the ascendant feelings of a key swath of the nation. It’s about time the nation’s apathetic nonparticipants finally saw themselves reflected in the political process.
