Would God want you to vote for a 3rd party candidate?

Here's an abridged Facebook discussion between a childhood friend of mine who happens to be a fundamentalist Christian, and a friend of hers (also a fundamentalist Christian.) As far as I can tell, the argument is almost entirely like a secular argument, except that you quote some scripture to back up your opinion (much like academic writing, where "scripture" = "someone who is published.")

The last two exchanges are by far the best, because, if God gave you a brain, he wants you to use it, right? Of course! And the tribulation is just around the corner (esp. if Obama wins). Dashes indicate change of speaker.

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McCain fan: I support McCain & Palin because of their pro-life, pro-gun, pro-marriage Republican platform, though I know McCain personally doesn't agree with all of the platform. But Sarah Palin does, as far as I can tell. These people are not perfect, and I understand that, but they are not completely opposite of my views, like Barack Obama is.

Also, as much as a 3rd party candidate might interest me, I don't think voting for one would do more than to take away the Republican candidate. So, while I know others will vote for a third party, I will not.

But whoever is elected, God is still in control. And I'm SO glad that He is.
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3rd party fan: So the last statement, God is still in control. So if we really believe that, that He is in control, that whoever is elected, it is because that God sovereignly appointed that person to that position (reference Daniel 4:32, "Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He wills"), if that is really the case then, do you believe that God wants you to vote for someone who may have a chance to win, but you don't agree with totally? No matter how you vote, in the end, the outcome has already been determined. So are you to vote with who has the best chance, or who would reflect your godliest decision?
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McCain fan: As God is in control, He will still be working, whether Obama or McCain are elected. As no candidate is perfect, I do not believe there is ANY candidate out there that you or anyone will completely agree with. And even then, they can change their mind. And while I do not agree with everything that McCain says, that does not mean that he can't change his mind, if elected. And though Sarah Palin will not be making policy, she will be there as a good influence, I do hope.

But I will not throw away my vote on a 3rd party candidate. I will vote for McCain, the man who comes the closest to agreeing with me on issues, and then I will be praying for whoever is elected.
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3rd party fan: Voting for anyone who may not be affiliated with our 2 party system is not throwing away your vote. I strongly disagree with your position there. Scripture is absolutely clear that in every area of life, we are not to go along with the populace, but behave according to clear and concise moral principles defined by God. We are commanded not to make decisions based on convenience or what is most practical, but make decisions, and specifically in the area of choosing leaders, that are inline with God's word. I think the criteria is clearly laid out for us in Scripture what God expects from leaders. He expects them to be godly. He expects us to choose people who are godly. That much is clear from the new and old testament. God expected Israel to choose godly civil rulers. And to state the negative, I think that I am on safe ground by stating that God would not want us to choose civil rulers who are not godly. It should be something completely incompatible in our minds, as Christians, to vote for anyone, firstly, who is not a believer, and secondly, who will not rule godly.
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McCain fan: God may expect us to choose godly leaders, but all those leaders are still human. They fail. They sin. God is infallible, but men are not. And we live in a country that, though founded on Christian principles, is getting worse and worse. Where would this discussion go, I wonder, if none of the candidates claimed to be Christians?

McCain claims to be a Christian, as does Palin, as does your candidate. And they have done nothing to DISprove these statements. Obama claims to be a Christian, but that's a lie, because this has been disproved already.

So, I can choose to believe my candidate is a Christian, as can you, and we're at a stand-still. But the Lord created every one of us, and he created us with a brain to think with. Does he want us to not use it? In our political system, has a third party candidate EVER won? If so, it was during the 1700s.

If you choose to vote for a 3rd party candidate, on principle, you might as well vote for Obama...
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3rd party fan: Now, think of it a different way. Does the Lord want a man in office that is going to support gay marriage, support abortion and infanticide, support gays in the military... Does the Lord want this man in office? If so, it's because the tribulation is right around the corner, most likely.

So, you can vote on principle, for a candidate that has no chance of winning, and therefore, you might as well be voting for the Liberal Democrat who is a fan of Communism and fraternizes with terrorists.