Editing Vote pairing (section)

== Criticisms ==
Because vote swapping agreements are informal, and because [[secret ballot|ballots are secret]], vote swapping agreements are not enforceable. Therefore, unlike [[Contract|legal contracts]], vote swapping is not legally binding, and one or both swappers could fail to uphold their agreement.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Questions to Consider if Your Trump-Clinton Vote Doesn't Really Count |last1=Monkovic |first1=Toni |date=September 28, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/upshot/if-your-vote-doesnt-really-count-is-there-anything-you-can-do.html}}</ref>

In 2016, Stein campaign co-chair Gloria Mattera criticized vote pairing schemes, stating that the campaign's position on vote pairing is that it is a failed strategy because voting for the "[[Lesser of two evils principle|lesser evil]]" had led highly distrusted major party candidates, and that Americans should instead vote for the candidate who best represents their interests.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Voting for minor party? Some Clinton backers want to swap votes with you |newspaper=[[USA TODAY]] |date=October 27, 2016 |first1=Eliza |last1=Collins |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/2016/10/27/voting-3rd-party-some-clinton-backers-want-swap-votes-you/92729736/}}</ref>

Other criticisms of vote pairing consist of arguments against supporting third-parties in the first place. One criticism is that helping third parties could hurt the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] in future elections, because if a third party secures 5% of the total votes, they are entitled to federal funds, and can then siphon off more votes from the Democratic Party in future elections.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/7/29/1554288/-Why-You-Shouldn-t-Trade-Your-Vote-With-a-3rd-Party-Voter-Also-why-you-should-not-vote-3rd-Party|title=Why You Shouldn't Trade Your Vote With a 3rd Party Voter. (Also why you should not vote 3rd Party)|date=July 29, 2016|newspaper=Daily Kos|access-date=2016-11-02}}</ref>