NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm bored so I will ask a simple question. I am curious as to who on here bothers to vote. I'm sure you all vote right?

I suspect there is a fairly high percentage of voters on NS (amongst those of voting age). It's a political game, after all.

And yes, I vote. Even in municipal elections.

I would vote, but in the recent local election I couldn't bring myself to vote for the lesser of three evils. That's the only chance I've had to vote so far.

I vote when a candidate is worthy of mine. The lesser evil is still evil.

I've voted in every election since i've been old enough to, and not just provincial and federal elections, but also civic ones.

But, if people vote on your poll, then they all vote "yes" even if they vote "no" (or "Pie rules!", or "I'm to young to vote").

I refuse to vote because either way I vote.. I know I would be voting for a corrupt asshole.

Actually, my friend said that. And I laughed.

I'm too young babe! And pi pie!

And and and andand nadndandnd ndndnd..

If in '08 I turn 18 Nov. 22... can I vote in the presidential election?

I vote like I am a starving man who has a sandwich about to be taken away.

If you don't vote like that, then you're wasting your time.

But, if people vote on your poll, then they all vote "yes" even if they vote "no" (or "Pie rules!", or "I'm to young to vote").

:rolleyes: :D

I should have seen this coming.

Every chance I get

I refuse to vote because either way I vote.. I know I would be voting for a corrupt asshole.

Actually, my friend said that. And I laughed.

I'm too young babe! And pi pie!

And and and andand nadndandnd ndndnd..

If in '08 I turn 18 Nov. 22... can I vote in the presidential election?
Given that that's almost three weeks after the election...no, no you can't.

I'm bored so I will ask a simple question. I am curious as to who on here bothers to vote. I'm sure you all vote right?


Early and often......

Why should I vote? Just curious. What will my vote accomplish that is worth the trouble it takes for me to register and fill out the ballot?

If in '08 I turn 18 Nov. 22... can I vote in the presidential election?
Nope. Sorry.

EDIT: Oh, yes, I vote, especially in local elections. And in the last two places I've lived, my polling place has been less than a block away, so I'd have to be one lazy fucker not to vote.

Given that that's almost three weeks after the election...no, no you can't.

You have to love that answer....


In all seriousness, you have to be registered to vote quite a while before the elections (I think roughly 2 months beforehand).

You have to love that answer....


In all seriousness, you have to be registered to vote quite a while before the elections (I think roughly 2 months beforehand).
That varies from state to state. There are some places that allow for same-day voting and registration.

Why should I vote? Just curious. What will my vote accomplish that is worth the trouble it takes for me to register and fill out the ballot?


The reason you vote is that not only is it your duty as a citizen, but if you don't vote you have by default given up your right to partake in choosing the leaders of your nation, that and you are waiving your right to complain..... which no one wants to do...

I am a compulsive voter. I vote on everything I'm allowed to, including silly NS polls.

Seriously, I think that a large contributor to the problems in America is voter apathy. In my opinion, all eligible voters should vote - I really don't care if everyone agrees with me or not. Voting sends a signal to the politicians that you're paying attention to what they're doing and may, in some small part, scare them into behaving slightly less dishonorably.

The reason you vote is that not only is it your duty as a citizen, but if you don't vote you have by default given up your right to partake in choosing the leaders of your nation, that and you are waiving your right to complain..... which no one wants to do...
So, if I don't vote at all, but later I exercise my First Amendment right to freedom of speech by criticizing the government, I am breaking the law?

I'm too young to vote, but When I get old enough I will. Alot of people don't vote when they get to 18, but it can be better in some cases. If you've ever seen a high school election, most kids vote for who has the best hair or something like that. I'd rather have someone like that not vote.

Pie rules! (I was one of the one that voted for pie, lol)

The reason you vote is that not only is it your duty as a citizen, but if you don't vote you have by default given up your right to partake in choosing the leaders of your nation, that and you are waiving your right to complain..... which no one wants to do...
I like the way Howard Dean put it--if all you do is vote, then you get a D in Citizenship 101, because that's the least you can do and still pass as a citizen.

For me, if you want to get an A, you have to get involved at the local level, involved in your community, and try to effect real change in the system, regardless of your party affiliation.

So, if I don't vote at all, but later I exercise my First Amendment right to freedom of speech by criticizing the government, I am breaking the law?

No, but your criticism has no power. If you have neglected to vote, then that means that you don't care about what happens. If you have declared that you don't care by not voting, then you don't care to the politicians.

Why should politicians care what you think? You're not voting against them, so their focus will be on people who actually vote. If the majority of the country doesn't agree with issue X, but a large part of those people don't vote, then the politicians won't care about them, and will go ahead with issue X, since those people don't pose a threat to their career in politics anyways.

If you don't vote, your opinions, values, and beliefs no longer matter.

If you don't vote, your opinions, values, and beliefs no longer matter.
Especially if the same is true of a large portion of your demographic group. Why should politicians pander to you as a group if you don't vote? Young people don't vote, so they don't get represented--old people vote, so they get the goodies. Take Social Security privatization for example. Want to know why it ultimately failed so badly? Because no politician was willing to piss off the most consistently high percentage voting bloc in the US. Hell, as the baby boomer generation retires, we won't be talking about cutting Medicare or Social Security--we'll be talking about federally paid for luxury retirement homes for the elderly, and politicians will vote for them because old people will keep them in office.

Since I could vote I've only missed one election, which was 2003, if I remember correctly. I find that those who don't vote lose their "bitching" credibility and well, I love to "bitch."

Yes. I've voted since I was old enough to. Local and National.

Does anyone but me see the irony in voting in a poll in a thread about whether you vote or not?

:D

Woah! I voted and I'm too young to vote...

I don't vote any more.

I do not live in the country where I am entitled to vote, as such I do not feel that it is ethically correct for me to vote for how that country is run.

As a foreigner in the country where I live I do not have the right to vote, just the obligation to pay tax. :mad:

No, but your criticism has no power. If you have neglected to vote, then that means that you don't care about what happens. If you have declared that you don't care by not voting, then you don't care to the politicians.

Why should politicians care what you think? You're not voting against them, so their focus will be on people who actually vote. If the majority of the country doesn't agree with issue X, but a large part of those people don't vote, then the politicians won't care about them, and will go ahead with issue X, since those people don't pose a threat to their career in politics anyways.

If you don't vote, your opinions, values, and beliefs no longer matter.
But the outcome of the vote is independent of my participation.

Further, I am an individual out of millions. No politician will be significantly swayed in his legislative policies by knowing that a single person of age group X or interest group Y has voted. I pose no threat to anyone's career in politics, regardless of if I vote or not.

Does anyone but me see the irony in voting in a poll in a thread about whether you vote or not?

:D
Yes. Post #6.

I probably won't too much later when I'm eligible. Probably just presidential.

But the outcome of the vote is independent of my participation.

Further, I am an individual out of millions. No politician will be significantly swayed in his legislative policies by knowing that a single person of age group X or interest group Y has voted. I pose no threat to anyone's career in politics, regardless of if I vote or not.

If you have a vote then you have a civic duty to use it. Imagine, if you will, a situation in which each and every individual argues as you are doing. Under those circumstances your argument would actually cease to be sound. One vote of a person of age group X or interest group Y becomes very significant.

Now do you want that to be the case. Do you want the political fanatic to be the one who decides the election? Probably not, I would guess.

The other issue is that your attitude and caimed behaviour is not one that can be universalised. It can not be adopted by everyone without imploding. As such, why are you special,? Why should you be able to take this position when it is not possible for everyone to do so? Are you really wanting to have options granted to you that are not granted equally to everyone?

But the outcome of the vote is independent of my participation.

Further, I am an individual out of millions. No politician will be significantly swayed in his legislative policies by knowing that a single person of age group X or interest group Y has voted. I pose no threat to anyone's career in politics, regardless of if I vote or not.

Ah, you are tackling *this* aspect. Very well.

With this logic, the outcome of society is independent of your existence. You are an individual out of billions, and will pretty much have NO significance on society. That does not mean you should cease caring about your existence.

Think about it this way: if many people started thinking and truly believing about how insignificant their existence is in the long run, the world would be a much more depressed place.

Similarly: if many people started thinking and truly believing about how insignificant their vote is, there would be very few voters. Very few voters would mean that those voters would be deciding what are government would be, while the others would simply be ruled without question.

The other issue is that your attitude and caimed behaviour is not one that can be universalised. It can not be adopted by everyone without imploding. As such, why are you special,? Why should you be able to take this position when it is not possible for everyone to do so? Are you really wanting to have options granted to you that are not granted equally to everyone?

There we go. I was trying to find a way to say that, but had difficulties.

Well done, AB Again! (BTW, I'm not praising him on a "good argument" - I HATE when people just say "owned" or crap like that before the other person can respond and before we can see whether they're truly owned or not; I'm simply praising him that he managed to say what I had difficulty saying)

For me, if you want to get an A, you have to get involved at the local level, involved in your community, and try to effect real change in the system, regardless of your party affiliation.
Out of curiosity, why does it have to be "effecting real change in the system" in order to be solid political activity? Is change always desirable, and moreover is it even always possible? Not to mention how much should things have to change in order to be considered "real" change?

I'm not saying I disagree or am in favor of the status quo, after all I believe that a major change in the form of governance is needed here in the United States, but I can imagine that there are people whose political views don't say that any kind of sweeping changes are needed in "the system" as it were.

You're not voting against them,...

That way of thinking is just so screwed up. You vote FOR a candidate not against them. Americans are so caught up in voting against candidates that the other party only has to run a candidate marginally better than the opposition. That is no way to run a democracy/republic.

I only vote for candidates. If a person doesn't reflect my values, I won't vote for them. I don't care what party the belong to or who they are running against. I won't waste my precious vote on some asshole just because I don't like the other guy a little more than him. I'll write in none of the above before I do that.

Maybe if the Democrats get tired of losing enough elections, they will start running good progressive candidates instead of running the the lowest common denominator republican lite candidate they usually do. Not voting does have an effect provided you are vocal about it and tell the party leaderships why you won't vote for their candidates.

That said, I always vote in referendums and local issue elections. That is important as you have an actual say in the outcome of those elections.

That way of thinking is just so screwed up. You vote FOR a candidate not against them. Americans are so caught up in voting against candidates that the other party only has to run a candidate marginally better than the opposition.

It was a small thing, call it a slip of the tongue. You are right and I retract that small comment.

I'm sorry...

And I'm Canadian.

It was a small thing, call it a slip of the tongue. You are right and I retract that small comment.

I'm sorry...

And I'm Canadian.

Fair enough. Hope I didn't offend as that wasn't my intent. It's just that whole voting against someone thing really gets to me.

I always vote. I thnk the local elections are more important than the national. Sometimes just a few votes in the local makes the difference. In the national the fraud takes away any value in my vote.

Apathy is the most dangerous political weapon. We live in one of the most politically free countries in the world and continue to have record low voter turn out. I vote in every election I can. If you don’t vote don’t complain about the events that take place. Even if you feel your vote is wasted, you still have a voice and used it!

Fair enough. Hope I didn't offend as that wasn't my intent. It's just that whole voting against someone thing really gets to me.

Well, sometimes it is valid to choose the lesser of two evils. For example:

We have the blood-sucking party. They will remove 10% of the population every year to be massacred and devoured of their blood.

We also have the slave-dealer party. They will force you and your children to hard slave labour at sustinence income.

You aren't going to vote FOR the slave-dealer party, but you have to vote against the blood-sucking party.

And yes, it was meant as humour :p

But you're right, it's more important to vote FOR who you want rather than AGAINST who you don't want. For example, proponents of Nader might have voted against the Democrat/Repulican party they did not like by voting for the other, which, I agree, ruins the whole democratic process.

This will be my first year I'm old enough to vote, and I will vote in every local, and federal election until the day I die.

I do, yes. I might not vote in '08 if my choices are between Hillary and McCain, but I still vote as often as I can.

Only Republicans and Democrats ever win. No non-socialist person ever stands a chance. Why bother?

If you have a vote then you have a civic duty to use it. Imagine, if you will, a situation in which each and every individual argues as you are doing. Under those circumstances your argument would actually cease to be sound. One vote of a person of age group X or interest group Y becomes very significant.

Now do you want that to be the case. Do you want the political fanatic to be the one who decides the election? Probably not, I would guess.

The other issue is that your attitude and caimed behaviour is not one that can be universalised. It can not be adopted by everyone without imploding. As such, why are you special,? Why should you be able to take this position when it is not possible for everyone to do so? Are you really wanting to have options granted to you that are not granted equally to everyone?

That's a good point. But why I find the reason lacking is precisely because I am NOT special; I have no control over the actions of people of age group X even if I belong to that group. The reality is, a certain percentage of X will vote and a certain percentage will not. If they all adopted my argument, then a reason for voting would present itself to me (I could affect the outcome or influence if no one else votes). But this is not likely to happen, ever, so my objection stands.

Ah, you are tackling *this* aspect. Very well.

With this logic, the outcome of society is independent of your existence. You are an individual out of billions, and will pretty much have NO significance on society. That does not mean you should cease caring about your existence.

Think about it this way: if many people started thinking and truly believing about how insignificant their existence is in the long run, the world would be a much more depressed place.

I disagree. I am merely arguing that my existence is insignificant to politics. That does not mean that my existence is not meaningful at all. I may instead derive meaning through my friends or my work, which I find enjoyable. That's being realistic, not depressed, and I can be happy doing that.

Similarly: if many people started thinking and truly believing about how insignificant their vote is, there would be very few voters. Very few voters would mean that those voters would be deciding what are government would be, while the others would simply be ruled without question.

See my post above. The fact is that there is no impetus for a significant demographic to suddenly adopt this attitude. As such, I can be reasonably confident that the voting statistics will remain relatively constant, which again provide me no compelling reason to vote at all.