Of Right and Left Wings and In-betweeners

Well, crum, crum, crum. I spent all evening yesterday reading through my voters guide to pick out who and what I wanted to vote for, and then at the end of the guide noticed that there is a deadline to register to vote, and sadly, that deadline was October 18th. I guess I assumed when I got my driver's licence that I was automatically registered. Grrrr....

Anyway, this leads me to a conundrum I have had on my mind. I have become somewhat disenchanted with my current political party, as I think they have digressed from what they have historically stood for. I have been leaning more towards becoming an "Independant," as I think their tenents are more in line with my desire to follow the constitution as closely as possible. It's a hard choice in many respects, because none of the political parties match exactly what I am looking for, so I feel like I have to make the choice that matches my beliefs the best. So, my conundrum is thus: when I am voting, do I vote "Independant," knowing that my vote will most likely have no real effect either way? I mean, let's face it, third parties rarely if ever get voted in. That would in effect make my vote completely neutral, perhaps giving the advantage to a party whose beliefs I oppose. If I vote for one of the two major parties, my vote might make more of a difference. Sigh...any thoughts?