The US election system makes it virtually impossible for a "third-party" candidate (neither Democrat nor Republican) to win the Presidency.
However, minor-party and independent candidates have had a profound influence on past elections. Anyone questioning the importance of these candidates need only be reminded of Ross Perot and Ralph Nader.
Different states may have different lists of minor candidates on their ballots. It is generally also possible to write in the name of a candidate not listed.
For the sake of simplicity, BetaVote 2008 treats all minor-party and independent candidates as write-in candidates. Simply enter the name of the desired candidate in the box provided when voting for "Other."
In the main results summaries, all choices besides John McCain and Barack Obama are counted together as "Other." More detailed breakdowns will be available on the results page as the sample size grows.