As much as it may seem at time, it’s not a pointless act. The single vote makes the difference.
Unless of course you’re voting for Republicans, in which case you should start that Lost marathon you’ve been putting off. 
^ 
But, yeah… GO VOTE!!!
“If you don’t vote, let that be your epitaph, let them put that on your grave. Here lies John Smith. Didn’t vote.”
-Eddie Vedder
I done voted, yeehaw!
(touch screens suck for booths)
I have serious problems with electronic voting machines, those without paper trails. Software can be manipulated, no matter how many auditing routines you employ as a safeguard since auditing routines are also software that can be manipulated.
^Truth.
Yeah, because the Democrats are awesome and everyone should love them 
Fuck voting. Fuck politics.
^If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain. Sorry.
I, for one, work to change my world rather than waiting for someone else to do it for me. 
Fine, but don’t think for a minute that you have any right to complain about any aspect of our government if you choose to foolishly throw away your opportunity to make a difference.
VOTE, otherwise you lose your voice, mhhmm K…
I am making a point of not voting today. And here’s why:
I personally just don’t feel strongly about anything or anybody on the ballot down here. I could go into the booth and X-mas tree the ballot and still be as satisfied as if I wasted my time with all the research and stressing out about certain people getting in or whatever. It’s really not gonna change anything.
Sure I could go in and circle every democrat in and tell all my hipster friends that I helped make the world a better place but it wouldn’t really do anything. All you’re doing by voting (assuming that the system isn’t rigged and/or faulty and every vote is honestly counted) is helping somebody to advance their law careers. That’s it. The people you’re voting for are not in it for you or to make the world a better place- they want power- even on the local elections, no matter how nice or cool they seem, there is something going on in their head that makes them enjoy seeing their name on stuff, their picture in the paper. And even though they probably won’t do anything more than the average hobo to make the world a better place, they’ll spend the rest of their lives telling everybody they did.
Say we’re talking about a bank(and the American government basically is a bank at this point). Somebody wants to get promoted from teller to branch manager. So they tell everybody in the neighborhood to work hard day and night (for no pay) to convince the company to give him that title. But really, what difference does it make? Its still the same bank. The guy still has no control because everything that the bank does is decided by somebody far away that we never see. The tellers just have nightmares about a different face now.
So I would encourage people to only vote if they feel like it. Going in and circling down the right or left column is only perpetuating the illusion that we live in a world that we collectively chose to live in. Which is not true. We live in a world that we, collectively, assume wouldn’t be quite as bad probably i guess so because that’s what everybody is telling me than if we voted the other choice on the menu.
So no, I’m not voting because I don’t support or trust what’s on the ballot. And until I hear any kind of honesty or truth from somebody during a campaign (and not just the same old tired bullshit about “taking our country back from our government”) then I’m not gonna show up. Because I don’t think most people really support what they vote for. They just do it because they feel like they have to and they pick what seems to be “not quite as bad” as whatever else is on there.
Consider my lack of vote a way of proudly voicing my political apathy. And if you feel apathetic with the whole system also, remember that you don’t have to participate either.
[size=200]I’m getting ready to go vote on my lunch hour now.
Should be quick and easy…Just pencil in R and I’m on my way!!![/size]
Your avatar suits your font size.
Jawbone, someday you will realize that if every person made the same decision you have chosen to make, we’d be a dictatorship without elected officials.
The lesser of two evils is WAY, WAY better than the more evil of two evils. So, even if you aren’t passionate about one side or another, think about how you would want things and vote for whatever would be the closest to making that happen.
In 1996, people told me that voting to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes was a total waste of time. They said it would be overturned by the feds. They said the police would ignore the law. They said communities would never allow marijuana to be sold legally. They even said the vote wouldn’t count in the first place.
Well… they were dead wrong. I live in a better society because of that vote.
If you choose to be ignored, you will be.
again, if there was something on the Florida ballot that I cared about I would vote for it. But there isn’t so I’m going to the beach.
I’ve voted before and it has not made any difference.
I’ve voted and “won” and voted and “lost” and have still complained, and the system still sucks. So what am I really voting for?
We should all vote for the world we want to live in. And in my ideal world (WORLD not just country/state), nobody shows up on election day, nobody enlists in the military, nobody pays taxes that are mostly used to fund the destruction of human civilization.
Voting for the sake of voting is part of a system that is taking mankind nowhere.
^I’m not going to try to change your mind.
I can only tell you that if you lived in a society where nobody showed up at the voting booth, you would find yourself wishing for your right to vote very quickly… because it will have been taken away from you.
^probably right but enough people are going to vote to where its not gonna come to that. I’m all for the democratic process but you’ve gotta admit that its becoming more of a charade with each election.
What I’m hoping to get out of not voting this year is a more inspired campaign next time.
The candidates down here just didn’t do enough to get me to the polls. I really don’t have anything better to do today. I just want to take this opportunity to say (through direct non-action) that there’s nothing here worth voting for so whoever decides to step up next time is just gonna have to do better.
like we’ve all been saying, vote how you feel. If you like a candidate or feel something for an amendment, please show up and tell us. But I really just don’t care about this one so I am also voting how I feel.
^I’m guessing there will be something down the line that you do care about that was a direct result of this election.
There are never enough people voting until participation reaches 100%. Then, you’d actually see things get done. But, it doesn’t happen with apathy. That’s for sure.
I’ve heard that tired old cliche so many times and I completely fail to get what it means. I mean, shouldn’t it read, “if you vote and your candidate gets elected you don’t get to complain”? Basically the “you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain” argument, would mean that you don’t get to complain about any system in which you don’t take part.
It’s like saying that if you don’t buy Nike products than you don’t get to complain about their unfair labour practices. Or if you refuse to buy tickets from Ticketmaster/Stubhub because of their bullshit scalping policies that you don’t get to complain about those policies. Why would you support a company or government that does not stand for what you believe in? Granted with companies you vote with your dollars and with government you vote with your ballot, but it is totally the same thing. If nobody voted today and no politicians got elected into office would our world not be a slightly better place because of it?
I vote when there is a candidate or party running that I think is going to make a positive net difference to our society, but that is certainly the exception to the rule.
BTW…I’m not American, so don’t come down on me for not voting today because I can’t.