From the website of the Working Families Party, the other party Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch is representing in today’s special congressional election:
Q. What does “fusion voting” mean?
A. Fusion voting occurs when a minor-party “cross-endorses” a major party candidate, allowing candidates to run on more than one line in an election. The votes from different parties are tallied separately, but then combined for that candidate’s total. Using fusion, minor parties like SC WFP have the potential to demonstrate in clear and unequivocal terms how much support they can deliver to a candidate by highlighting the number of votes a candidate receives on our line.
A sample ballot might look like this…
Major Party 1 Steady Sue 42% Major Party 2 Fat Cat Bill 48% Working Families Party Steady Sue 10% …where Steady Sue wins with 52% and knows where her votes came from.
Fusion voting lets third parties like the WFP demonstrate support for the issues we’re fighting for. When votes on the WFP’s line help a candidate win, we can hold that politician accountable to working people, instead of special interests.
Here is a blurb from the party’s main site:
The Working Families Party is the independent voice for South Carolina’s working families. Formed by a grassroots coalition of community organizations, neighborhood activists, and blue-collar workers, we came together build a society that works for all of us, the 99%, not just the wealthy and well-connected 1%
The South Carolina Working Families Party also provides a summary of its stances:
Apparently the party of class warfare has found its candidate.