Personally, I've voted 3rd party since 2006, unless the (R) is running for local office, and I've had the chance to meet and vet them for myself.
Well, we all live in different states and have different circumstances.
Texas is reliably GOP and you can still find a conservative Dem every once and awhile I guess.
In my state IMHO there are no viable alternatives to voting GOP.
Since I am a conservative, if I opted to stay at home on election day, or vote third party, that effectively becomes a vote for the Democrats in the final analysis.