How are multicandidate elections different from elections with only two 
candidates? Are concerns that minor party candidates confuse or distract 
voters valid? Using survey evidence and original experiments, I 
investigate how the presence of more than two options affects the vote. I 
find that the number and type of candidates in an election campaign 
influence voter decision-making in systematic ways. When there are more 
than two candidates, I find a compromise effect that benefits moderate 
candidates consistent with scholarship into consumer behavior. Voters who 
find the voting decision to be difficult are more likely to choose the 
moderate candidate regardless of strategic considerations. When a third, 
extreme candidate is in the race, the adjacent candidate benefits from 
appearing more moderate and wins the vote of some who might otherwise 
support the opposing candidate.