Voting - Why dont you vote?

[arsonistsgetallthegirls]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

This is mostly an issue now during primaries when the parties still haven't settled on one candidate. Statistically speaking, the more candidates there are, the more likely the average american is to pick one based on something arbitrary, so you get a lot of people liking or disliking candidates based on one issue or quality they possess.

Theoretically, once it is down to two people, more of their actual position on issues should begin to factor into popular opinion.

I realize that this isn't the thread to voice my political opinion, but I cringe every time i hear someone say "I'm voting for Hillary because she's a woman" or "Obama's got my vote because he's black". Race and sex will end up being a major factor in this election, and it's sad that voters would be so bias to something so trivial. People need to look past color and sex when choosing a leader. People also need to look past these people's promises, especialy those for "change", and look at their past political records. Actions speak infinitely louder than words, but todays voters must be deaf. Change isn't always good.

[devonin]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

People need to look past color and sex when choosing a leader.

Don't underestimate the importance and value to the future of the country that electing a woman or a black man into the presidency would have. The sooner one of them gets in, the sooner it becomes more acceptable to more people for future ones to also run and potentially get elected.

Once the "The president is a white christian man" statement stops being universally true, the door for political advancement for more and more people opens.

Obviously america shouldn't elect Clinton or Obama solely because of that, but I think to insist that it has or should have no impact at all on their candidacy is overly idealistic for right now.

[tea_green]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

I'm not able to vote this year, but I made it a mission to vote and encourage people to vote. IMO, the vote doesn't matter to me but people fought hard for my right to cast a meaningless vote.

I'm unable to now because I'll be out of the state come election day...

[devonin]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

And there are no early polling, or remote polling options available to you?

[Grandiagod]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

I cannot in good conscience vote for any of the current front runners because of their views and beliefs.

Voting for anyone besides the front runners pretty much guarantees throwing your vote away so I don't bother.

[JONES]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

I don't vote because currently I'm not registered and really, basically in my opinion all the candidates suck, leaving me stumped for choice, so I'm just gona sit out this time.

I've heard things about both Clinton and Obama, well I just plain don't like Hillary, also I heard somewhere that Obama doesn't solute the flag nor does he say the Pledge of Allegiance? As for McCain I haven't really heard anything about him...

Hopefully if we are lucky in 2012, we will have someone with the views that the population will agree with which of course is hard cause everyone is too different, but honestly everyone currently running, has different ideas for everything, none of which is really any good.

*based on what I have heard and think*


Voting is only as good as the people who you vote for, if none of them are any good, who do you vote for?


Jones..

[-Hero-]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

I feel like my one vote doesn't count. With the electoral college and the way that works, it totally doesn't appeal to me to bother wasting my time.

That one vote might do all the difference. It has before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson

[hoochan]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

I personally don't vote. I feel like my one vote doesn't count.

Obviously, if it were just up to you then it wouldn't really make a difference; but when you add in the fact that MANY other people share your same belief, then obviously, if you all voted then it would make a difference to an extent.

PS-If you don't vote, then you can't bitch. Not pointing this at anyone in particular but this is my standpoint on voting.

[Grandiagod]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

PS-If you don't vote, then you can't bitch. Not pointing this at anyone in particular but this is my standpoint on voting.

Anyone I would vote for is not going to win. I'm not going to take hours out of a workday to go waste my time to "earn" the right to voice my displeasure. I can bitch whenever I want to as long as I am capable of holding an opinion.

[stretchypanda]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

I'm seriously considering not voting this year.

I am sorely disappointed in the choices I've been presented.

[MalReynolds]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

... also I heard somewhere that Obama doesn't solute the flag nor does he say the Pledge of Allegiance?...

This is, hands down, the best reason to not vote for someone. Because of something arbitrary. Because of hearsay.

He does salute the flag. And does say the pledge. Just not every time - and it's a shame you're letting that deter you. I can understand Hilary, who has a history of falling neatly into the pockets of lobbyists, or McCain, who will more than likely go insane before his first year is up - these are legitamite reasons to not choose a candidate.

But because he doesn't salute the flag?

[Tokzic]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

If you don't vote, then you can't bitch.

I completely disagree. Not voting implies that you don't like any of the candidates. Obviously when one candidate that you don't like wins, you are not going to be content. Therefore, you bitch.

I don't understand where this concept came from because it doesn't make any sense. It's not like your opinion loses merit because you didn't waste time throwing one ballot into an ocean of them.

[devonin]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

I completely disagree. Not voting implies that you don't like any of the candidates. Obviously when one candidate that you don't like wins, you are not going to be content. Therefore, you bitch.

Actually the proper method to demonstrate that you don't like any candidate is to register to vote, arrive, and spoil your ballot either by writing in a nomination for "none of these" or otherwise marking it in a way that makes it so that it will be counted as a submitted vote, but will not generate a vote for any candidate.

That's half the reason the ballots are set up the way they are, so that people can exercise their right to vote for no candidate, rather than simply not vote at all. It has the additional benefit of showing up as a spoiled ballot when they are presenting election results, and if it turns out that even 1/4 of the people who don't vote refrain from voting because they like no candidate, it is valuable for the incoming president to know that in addition to getting just over half of the votes that did count, there was also a few million people who said "we don't like any of you"

The concept of "If you don't vote, you can't complain" is founded on the same principle that says the only comedians who can tell racial jokes are members of the race they are joking about. If you don't at least take part in the process and the system, you can argue that you don't have as much of a right to lodge complaints about what happens in the system than someone who did participate. This is true in pretty much every arena of life. Think back to when you were little, and your family was deciding what to have for dinner. If you didn't suggest something to eat, and something you didn't like got picked and you complained, I'm willing to bet your parents told you that you should have suggested something then.

[Tokzic]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

If you didn't suggest something to eat, and something you didn't like got picked and you complained, I'm willing to bet your parents told you that you should have suggested something then.

This doesn't fly at all. Complaining that you got something you didn't want isn't realistic - you'd complain that there's something you'd rather have that was available as an option in your example. Spoiling your ballot doesn't have any point because "none of them" isn't a valid option (though I still drew penises and dragons all over mine for provincials anyway). If "none of them" has more votes than President A, and President A has more votes than Presidents B-Z, President A is still going to get in, and therefore voting for none of them is a waste of time. Going through the trouble of voting just to let President A know you don't like him is a waste of time.

[devonin]

Re: Voting - Why dont you vote?

If "none of them" has more votes than President A, and President A has more votes than Presidents B-Z, President A is still going to get in, and therefore voting for none of them is a waste of time. Going through the trouble of voting just to let President A know you don't like him is a waste of time.

If President A gets in with 30% of the popular vote and "None of these" got 40% of the popular vote, you can be damn sure that President A is very very careful how strongly they try to carry out their mandate, lest the people call for a vote of no-confidence and have them impeached.