To the undecided voters

[Roo]

For the last 10 years, I've chosen not to vote...for many reasons.

1) I was uneducated or unconcerned about politics. I couldn't be bothered to educate myself or care enough who ran the country.

2) My vote didn't count, what with the millions of other people voting and the electoral college (in the case of the president).

3) I wasn't registered.

4) I refused to vote for the lesser of two evils, and they're all evil. Or, I couldn't decide who was worse.

There could be more, but those were the main ones. Then last year, I had to renew my driver's license, so I just checked the box while I was there. Yay, now I'm registered to vote! And all of a sudden, I feel like I should, whether my vote really counts or not. This time around, I'm checking out who's running, and learning about their platforms and voting record. Still having issues with the evil bit. McCain strikes me as evil in a more obvious way....Obama seems more evil in a more insidious way. I've got a congressman to vote for too, and I'm looking at an incumbant who hasn't done shit in his two years in office (with ties to the rich and successful musicians), versus a rabid reagan republican (with ties to the Marines, police and firefighters).

Oddly enough, the internal debates have little to do with the reasons I listed above for not voting. It's more like: "who am I to decide who gets to govern us?", "what do I know about politics that makes me qualified to make such a momentous decision?", "How am I supposed to know who's more qualified and capable of governing this country?" It doesn't really have a damn thing to do with whether my vote counts. It has to do with whether or not I count my vote.

And finally, I'm still undecided. I'm pretty sure I don't want to vote for McCain. It seems like he'll follow in Bush's footsteps, I'm not sure that he'll live through all 4 years, and I don't think Palin would make a good president. Obama looks really good, but I can see the slime under the shine. I sincerely doubt he intends to create any good changes, despite everything he's saying now. So who's left? Ron Paul? Ralph Nader? Mebbe I'll go Green, just for kicks.

[Bruno]

I wish the National Barking Spider Resurgence Party had a candidate running this year. 

[Golden Applesauce]

I'd be more willing to vote if there was a "No confidence" option.

And really, I'm not sure I buy into this "voting is your duty" meme.  If my vote had a real impact I might agree, but as long as 300 000 000 other people get votes... donating time or money to a campaign gets more of their votes.

[Cainad (dec.)]

I'd be more willing to vote if there was a "No confidence" option.

And really, I'm not sure I buy into this "voting is your duty" meme.  If my vote had a real impact I might agree, but as long as 300 000 000 other people get votes... donating time or money to a campaign gets more of their votes.

Wrong. Approximately half of the eligible population votes in the USA. The other half thinks along the same lines you are.

Does your non-vote count also?

[Jasper]

No droplet of rain ever caused a flood.

[LMNO]

Might as well keep driving my Escalade... one gas-guzzling car's not gonna kill the planet, right?
    \

[Honey]

Wrong. Approximately half of the eligible population votes in the USA. The other half thinks along the same lines you are.

Does your non-vote count also?

Hi there Cainad,

I liked your original post here    

& all I can say about the above statistic is that something is wrong when only half the people vote.  Friggin' pathetic.  Makes me want to go live somewhere else.

[Golden Applesauce]

I'd be more willing to vote if there was a "No confidence" option.

And really, I'm not sure I buy into this "voting is your duty" meme.  If my vote had a real impact I might agree, but as long as 300 000 000 other people get votes... donating time or money to a campaign gets more of their votes.

Wrong. Approximately half of the eligible population votes in the USA. The other half thinks along the same lines you are.

Does your non-vote count also?

If it doesn't count either way, might as well expend less energy, right?

[fomenter]

I'd be more willing to vote if there was a "No confidence" option.

And really, I'm not sure I buy into this "voting is your duty" meme.  If my vote had a real impact I might agree, but as long as 300 000 000 other people get votes... donating time or money to a campaign gets more of their votes.

you can write in "none of the above" it won't count for anything except your own satisfaction for voting your own mind (until we all get together and all vote "none of the above") dont hold your breath i have been hoping for a none of the above movement for the last two elections..

edit "three if you count this one"

[LMNO]

It might be amusing to go back to the old method of "first place gets the presidency, second place gets the vice-presidency".

Could make cabinet meetings more fun, anyway.

[Jenne]

OP = outstanding

Also:  lots of whining, copping out fuckheads itt.  Who need to go live somewhere without democracy/ rights to voting for a while to see how the "other half" lives.  Then come back to me and say you know about how much democracy sucks ass.

Jesus.

[East Coast Hustle]

lots of whining, copping out fuckheads itt. 

THIS.

[Cramulus]

A popular vote would only serve to further polarize the elections.  It's a bad idea.

Try an approval vote.

How about you both fuck off, and we just follow the constitution?

Because the electoral college is a malfunctioning relic.

I'm a bit late on this, but let me toss my two cents on the pile -

the electoral college, for all it's modern foibles, has its heart in the right place. If the president were decided purely by popular vote, candidates would only campaign in New York and LA.

That's not to say it shouldn't be reformed. It needs help, but it's not a bad idea at its core.

[AFK]

It certainly gives my State much more influence than it would on a popular-vote basis.  And New Hampshire wouldn't be a Battle Ground State if not for the Electoral College.  I'm not sure exactly how you could make it work any better.  It's going to be near impossible to devise a system that levels the playing field for geographic areas with large amounts of people and geographic areas with a minute amount of people.  Population centers will always have more sway no matter what you come up with.  But the popular vote makes their advantage so much heavier. 

[Jasper]

Did anyone read my link on approval voting?  It's a pretty good voting system that would eliminate most of the problems of a straight popular vote.