NationStates Jolt Archive

just putting it out there, since i've heard referance made to it in several forums (and some of my friends do it, which ticks me off to no end). what do we think of strategic voting? is it a valid way to prevent parties that terrify us? or a cheap cop out that dooms us to the lesser of 2 evils? discuss.

Ever read "The Art of Political Manipulation"? Strategic voting (and strategic control of choices) is what its all about. They eventually come to the conclusion that the world can only make sense if everyone chooses to either vote strategically or not.

Ever read "The Art of Political Manipulation"? Strategic voting (and strategic control of choices) is what its all about. They eventually come to the conclusion that the world can only make sense if everyone chooses to either vote strategically or not.

never had, actually. who wrote it? sounds good...

If I vote, it is for ideas, not persons (I hope. cult of personality we should be warry of) or party (zeig heil).

I guess conscience, when I vote.

For the last US prez election, I did not vote. Yes,
that is correct. I did not vote. At least not for prez.
For other offices I did. Various reassons.

****,
I so utterly disagree with the line "if you don't vote,
you don't have a right to complain."
Voting is not the be all and end all of democracy.
Voting is not the only way to participate in our democracy.
Discussion is one way, write a letter, make a home-made
newspaper, organize a speaker to come to your community, etc.
THEY would rather have you be passive and only vote.
Heck, even the old Soviet Union had elections. If they
made all other forms of democratic participation illegal
but kept voting, no, we would not have democracy and it
would be the United States in name only.

I vote strategically. For instance I vote Green knowing full well they won't take the seat, but rather the votes will flow to Labour giving them a victory. But at the same time requiring the Labour Candidate to negotiate a more leftist policy for the preferences.

never had, actually. who wrote it? sounds good...

I forgot, and I can't find the book. :(