Why Do So Few People Vote In The U.S.?

[Cryozombie]

There are a wide variety of reasons why people don't vote and truthfully it is sad to see that some people don't execute their right to vote yet still seem to think they have the right to ***** about what happens after the election. Those people irritate me the most.

Yeah? So you think that given the choice between voting for a lump of **** or a bag of crap for dinner, and you choose not to pick either one, you have no right to complain when its dumped on your plate and you are told to eat it, when what you wanted to vote for was steak? Gimme a break. **** is ****, no matter what you choose to call it when its put in front of you... there is NO real choice.

Besides, Id rather see 100,000 people with no knowlage of the candidates who are running avoid voting rather than pick soley based on party lines becaus thats what mommy and daddy were, so thats what they raised me to vote... If more people WOULD abstain from that... we might just have a chance at sneaking that steak onto the plate, as opposed to dealing with IDIOTS who are more concerned with the "Party Line" than the actual candidates.

 

[mrhnau]

I think most people just don't care who wins, don't pay enough attention to know who is who, and considers all the candidates equally distasteful.

I'll second the equally distasteful part at least...

More often than not I'm just voting for the lesser of two evils. I don't know anyone out there w/ similar political leanings, and I'm a bit tired of all the negativity out there with poltical ads.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I'll second the equally distasteful part at least...

More often than not I'm just voting for the lesser of two evils. I don't know anyone out there w/ similar political leanings, and I'm a bit tired of all the negativity out there with poltical ads.

WHAT??

You don’t want to know about how one candidate misappropriated funds or yet another has domestic issues, or one that claims that police reports are falsified, or yet another used illegal wiretaps...and that is just in my state.

I agree with you completely

 

[Cryozombie]

Yep... Thats it right there.

 

[shesulsa]

Yeah? So you think that given the choice between voting for a lump of **** or a bag of crap for dinner, and you choose not to pick either one, you have no right to complain when its dumped on your plate and you are told to eat it, when what you wanted to vote for was steak? Gimme a break. **** is ****, no matter what you choose to call it when its put in front of you... there is NO real choice.

Besides, Id rather see 100,000 people with no knowlage of the candidates who are running avoid voting rather than pick soley based on party lines becaus thats what mommy and daddy were, so thats what they raised me to vote... If more people WOULD abstain from that... we might just have a chance at sneaking that steak onto the plate, as opposed to dealing with IDIOTS who are more concerned with the "Party Line" than the actual candidates.

GOOD POINTS!!

I think many, many, many people feel this way.

HOWEVER ...

We have to have an answer for this. What is the answer for this? Write-ins? Abstaining? Actively striking the vote? Clearly, not voting isn't working, as the candidates just keep getting worse and worse and now we have almost NO good candidates anymore.

C'mon folks, we gotta come up with some better idea than to just lie down and watch it happen.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Show up, write in a name, and make them count it.

Not showing up, doesn't work. To effect change, one must take action, even if that action is simply to cast a blow off vote for Mickey Mouse.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Show up, write in a name, and make them count it.

Not showing up, doesn't work. To effect change, one must take action, even if that action is simply to cast a blow off vote for Mickey Mouse.

And WHAT is WRONG with a vote for Mickey Mouse, I vote for him or Bugs Bunny all the time...well there was that one year I voted for Danger mouse.. But I don't talk about that year

If I remember correctly a few years ago town took action by not showing up. They did want both candidates so no one voted and no one won. I believe the city council ended up in charge. I will have to look and see if I can find out the name of the place.

There are multiple ways to effect change, but you need a consensus of people to do so. 1 person shows up and votes and the person they voted for wins whether or not 50000 people do not show up. Write in a Candidate and 1 person votes for the real candidate and he/she wins.

 

[Cruentus]

So; does anyone know the % of those registered who voted yesterday?

 

[zDom]

In the counties around here, the percentage of registered voters who voted was just over half — about 52, 53 percent.

County clerks (the chief election officials) describe that as a very good turnout for a mid-term election.

 

[Cruentus]

A little over 50% is significantly higher for a midterm election. Hopefully, this is an indication of more interest in participation of the process.

I should note here that I think that a possible reason for high voter turn-out usually has more to do with dissatisfaction rather then satisfaction. I think that most people get apathetic when things are going well, and therefore assume that things will always be just fine, so they attend to other things. When things are going poorly with whatever their particular issue of choice may be, they tend to turn out at the polls more. That is a possility, anyway. It would explain why when our economy is going well, voter turnout seems to be lower, and in other countries where there is great turmoil and unrest, voter turnout is extremely high...

 

[zDom]

Show up, write in a name, and make them count it.

Not showing up, doesn't work. To effect change, one must take action, even if that action is simply to cast a blow off vote for Mickey Mouse.

I agree. Or write in "no appropriate candidates listed."

Make your voice heard.

Also, this way you are able to vote on proposals that might also appear on the ballot.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

I agree. Or write in "no appropriate candidates listed."

Make your voice heard.

Also, this way you are able to vote on proposals that might also appear on the ballot.

In the previous election, I was vocal about the need for a "No Confidence" ballot check spot. Checking it would mean, "This slew of candidates sucks wind, and we need to start over with some new meat, because none of these guys/gals has any business governing".

I ALMOST always vote, even if only for write-ins. One of the reasons I don't vote is a snobbery of sorts. The founding fathers had an idea of an enfranchised and informed citizenry being the people who voted on decisions; not just anybody over 18. Education to the bachelors level, minimum; landowners; etc. Voting wasn't for the masses, because the masses aren't really fit for self rule.

For as un-PC as this sounds, let me include that, under the criteria expressed in the letters and journals of Monroe and some of the other early dudes, I wouldn't even have the right to vote. If abdicating my vote under their criteria gets some of the single-issue voters who haven't bothered to research the candidates or issues out of the voting booths and back in line for the sales at Wal-Mart, then I'll abdicate my vote until I've gotten my act together enough to stand with the informed, enfranchised citizenry.

Yes, it's imperialistic thinking (or certainly not far from it). Yes, it throws back voters rights nearly 200 years. Yes, I'll take a blasting for it. I only have to sit next to some young pup in Starbuck's who's going to vote republican for no other reason than because his church pastor told him it's the christian party ONE TIME before the guilt around this perspective leaves my body completely. I will have sat, read, studied the ballots; researched the voting records and campaign contributors of the folk seeking office, and put a lot of time and energy into making my selection. And in one single-minded, brainless act, have my vote cancelled out by mental giants such as this kid. A God given right to be as dumb as a bag of hammers, and still have a say in outcomes of national and world imnportance. Only in America.

Looking at the educational level of the US, and comparing it to the rest of the first (and second) world, the masses here are not fit for self rule. Until voter reform includes some minimal criteria (even a GED or minimal IQ score for gods sake), the machine is too broked up to make it worth playing.

That's my rant.

Dave

 

[bluemtn]

I agree with the not showing up, doesn't work. I've had problems in the past with not knowing who the canidates were, smears, so on and so forth. I still try, though... If I don't know, I ask or do some research. I also ignore the campaign ads on t.v., and let my research do the speaking. Living where I do, all I heard for at least a week is negativity- luckily not so much from the state I'm living in, but still mostly from Md. or Va. Also, for some reason, I had the luck to meet some of the politicians either they were handing out pamphlets, or just by sheer dumb luck. Too many people nearby have the "I don't care" attitude, or "why should I?" syndrome. If you want to see things get better, and are tired of seeing things being done wrong, then VOTE instead of just complain about it! That's why we have elections in the first place. Granted, it doesn't always work out the way you want to, but don't just give up.

Ok, now I'm done. ***Runs for cover in hopes of not ticking people off***