Voting

I love politics. I'm not old enough to vote but, I wish I could and when I am old enough I most certainly will. I believe it matters and is very very important.

 

Hi Kaiser,

I see voting as getting to choose between which lot of corrupt corporate lackeys get to pretend to make decisions in the public interest for the next few years. It's a bit like, there's a house that is crumbling, rotten foundations, rotten everything, and every couple of years we paint it red, or blue, but it remains the same old rotting house, that really needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. And this applies not only to my own country, but to many others as well. In the case of the U.S., I think the 'foundations' were good, but the weight of the rest of the structure has ended up making rebuilding a necessity.

 

I'm not voting, nor will I think I ever will. It's a battle of the lesser of two evils and all politicians are two-faced liars. Why bother?

 

In Australia, voting is compulsory so I do it mainly to avoid being fined for not doing it, however I do believe my vote does matter and does count.. I think if I hadn't voted for who I want in government and it was a close result, my vote might have made the difference in a different outcome.. I don't know if that is the way for sure, but I would like to think of it that way.

 

Now that there's talk of Republicans rigging the Electoral College by changing to a district plan in blue states with gerrymandered House districts, I think it may be time to change to a popular vote system.

I wouldn't mind having compulsory voting. It works in Australia.

My vote matters a little bit in Presidential years. Michigan isn't as solidly blue as, say, Illinois or California, but we still haven't gone for a Republican since 1988. As for the Senate, Governor, and other statewide elections, when more people get out and vote, Democrats win. When people stay home, Republicans win. So this year my vote actually matters.

 

A) I'm not old enough
B) I don't agree with the ideologies of any of the parties of which have candidates I could vote for

 

I would love to vote but I'm not old enough.

I do think the electoral system should be abolished but I don't think it's a huge deal if it isn't. The one thing I am always worried about is faithless electors changing the outcome of the election which hasn't happened yet. If a third party were ever to gain momentum in the US I think a change would be necessary because I don't want the house to decide who wins.

I also don't see how people think all politicians are inherently evil. Some are awful but not all of them are. If you don't want to vote republican or democrat there are always other options as well. Even if they don't want to vote for any politician, there are usually ballot questions that are important as well.

 

I vote, but as my previous comments make clear, I don't really have faith in it. I certainly don't think anyone has an obligation to vote.

 

I think that's a fine attitude...as long as you're ok with how the rest of us run your country.

 

I haven't even registered to vote yet. Over here, we don't have vastly differing political parties. Essentially, we have three main parties and each are, more or less, a slightly different version of the same thing. I plan on registering soon though, we have a referendum coming up next year on marriage equality.

 

I just voted an hour ago. My voting pattern is usually purple (red-blue :lol.

Voting in Texas is important because our Constitution is set up so that even trivial issues require a constitutional amendment. Therefore, voting is important even if you only vote for the local issues that are directly placed on the ballot.

On some races for local positions where only one person is on the ballot, I won't vote for them even if I would agree with their policies because I will not rubberstamp someone :lol:.

 

Not old enough to vote

 

I voted for the first time this year.... and plan to keep on voting until I die...

 

Ooof, I didn't realise that was the case! I do think voting should be voluntary, the rise and fall of turnout can actually be a good indicator of the mood of the nation as the votes themselves. Plus punishing someone for such a minor thing as not signing an x on a peice of paper seems a tad excessive. It would probably rub me up the wrong way if I had to do it, triggering my rebellious side! Out of interest does every non-voter receive the fine, and do people pay the fines or can they get away with ignoring them?

On topic, myself. I used to vote. I'm questioning whether to bother moving forward though as I really don't feel it makes a difference anymore. Firstly, because I realise its just one vote amongst millions (or amongst tens and tens of thousands at a local level). Secondly, because all the parties are essentially as bad as each other now and share ideology. Thirdly, because voting for a party based on a manifesto is no guarantee they'll stick to it. You are just ticking an X in a box once every few years and hoping for the best - hardly has much impact.

 

I'm not old enough to vote but I keep an eye on politics and I wish I was old enough. I think voting should be compulsory. Not sure what I think of the Electoral College

 

If you do believe in what a party stands for, then by all means you should vote for them.
But voting is more often a case of choosing the lesser evil. Sometimes this is necessary, others, when all candidates are merely offering different flavours of the same bullshit, not so much.

I do not believe voting should be compulsory for a few reasons. Obviously encouraging awareness to increase involvement is important. But no one should be forced to participate if they don't feel a strong affiliation with a candidate and their values. Putting someone who has no strong preference in a position where they are under pressure to make a choice, makes it more likely they will later regret that choice. Even if a 'none of the above' option is offered, a culture of obligation increases the pressure to select one of the candidates.
I've heard people say they voted, just for the sake of taking part, and later in hindsight wished they hadn't.

Another issue is that any system which is compulsory will cause problems for those who actually CAN'T participate, for one reason or another, through no fault of their own. There are usually safeguards in place to prevent anyone being unfairly punished for this, but they are never 100% and some will inevitably fall through the cracks.

Politicians get annoyed at low voter turn-outs not because they care about democracy, but because they want your vote. They like to remind us that 'if you don't use your vote then you don't have a say', but actually you do. You are saying that what is being offered is not satisfactory, to be deserving of your vote. You're telling politicians that they have to work harder, offer something better, to EARN that vote.

I'm not saying don't vote, people should, but only when they believe in what they are voting for.

 

I vote, begrudgingly - I do not, however, judge people for not voting.

The US system is rigged in favor of two ruling parties, there is little point in voting in their elections. I do merely because there is nothing else, at this moment, that I can do.

 

I'm a dual citizen and live in the US so yes, I voted today. My vote doesn't mean much on the big stuff since Massachusetts is extremely predictable, but I suppose it makes a difference for the referendum questions.

I personally like the Canadian system better since there's more than two major parties and they're kind of forced to at least try to work together if there's no majority government. On the flip side, elections can be held much more frequently which can get annoying. I've never been able to vote in Canada though.