A question for the political binaries

binary
something made of or based on two things or parts...
(from Merriam-Webster)

Now we need a further definition:

political binary
someone who only votes for one of the two major American political parties

The reasoning of the political binary is fairly simple: They believe that voting for a third party is a wasted vote, since you have to go back to the 19th century to find a successful third party candidate. While accurate, it creates the illusion that choosing one of the two major party candidates is always an acceptable choice.

However, the current election exposes the lie in that thinking. On one side, we have Donald Trump, a despicable man of the crudest kind, with questionable judgement. On the other side, we have Hillary Clinton, an unconvicted criminal who has mastered gaming the political system for her own benefit, as well as covering up her own crimes.

At what point does the political binary look at the two candidates and reason that neither is acceptable? Even a political binary has to draw the line somewhere, right?

The correct answer is no, they do not have to draw any lines.

Consider the people of North Korea. They live under a brutal dictatorship, where dissent is unheard. They will always support the dictator, because that is all they have known. Do you honestly believe that people living fairly comfortably in the America, and propagandized for a century about "wasting their votes", would actually have incentive to consider an alternative? By the time Americans wake up and smell their country burning, it will be too late. Just as North Koreans vote for their only choice, Americans vote for one of their only two choices (or so they think).

Aside from the damage this kind of thinking creates, by entrenching two political parties that disregard the voters' wishes at every turn, there is also a major flaw in this thinking.

What is the purpose of voting? Is it to pick a winner? Because the "wasted vote" logic is directly an appeal to one's sense of being on the right side, regardless of the cost. We don't want to be "outcasts" from society. What makes this particularly funny is that voting is done in secret. Nobody knows your vote, so you could write in Mickey Mouse and nobody would know unless you told them.

The true purpose of voting is to select a candidate who is most closely aligned with your own interests. At the very least, one can reasonably argue the purpose of voting is to select someone who is respected for their good judgement.

But if you are a political binary, at what point would you consider rejecting both candidates? At what point do they both become so horrible they are unworthy of your vote? What are your minimum acceptable standards for voting for anyone? Or is being a Republican or Democrat part of your standard, regardless of the dog food they stick in front of you?