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Voting, particularly for presidential elections, is the ultimate exercise in pointlessness. Not only is it statistically completely insignificant at your indivi

by GuiA 10y ago

Voting, particularly for presidential elections, is the ultimate exercise in pointlessness. Not only is it statistically completely insignificant at your individual level, but in fact the US voting system is designed to not always reflect the opinion of the majority! Not to mention the uncountable cases of fraud. Things you can do to make your political voice heard: - call/write to your local representatives - go out and join a protest (better, start a protest!) - donate money to a cause you care about - volunteer (i.e. donate time) for a cause you care about - write a blog, start a podcast, distribute flyers, etc. etc. etc. But voting is certainly not in there. And not only is voting a completely insignificant act - its utmost importance is forced through the minds of children and adults all across the country as if it were the most important thing a citizen could do, and not voting is socially less acceptable than clubbing baby seals. Of course, those in power know that, but voting is convenient for them - it lets them give a semblance of control to the people, all the while the things that really matter can be controlled behind closed doors, where the average citizen has no leverage. A population that just goes out to vote when they're supposed to (with their votes easily manipulated by the media establishment) and forgets about the political machine the rest of the time is an easily controlled population. A good essay: http://reason.com/archives/2012/10/03/your-vote-doesnt-count http://reason.com/archives/2012/10/03/your-vote-doesnt-count

unclenoriega 10y ago
I don't understand this argument. They do count the votes. How many people have to stop voting before your vote is important enough? I agree that those other things you listed are important, but most of them are important because they ultimately connect to votes. Next time you call or write your representative, be sure to add that you don't vote, and neither do the people you can persuade. I doubt your opinion will count for much. Moreover, the presidential election isn't the only thing on the ballot. I'll grant you that many statewide races are a foregone conclusion on election day. (This may mean the primary is important though.) But a local race on my ballot in 2014 was decided by 561 votes. Now, I may not have been the deciding vote, but there's a decent chance somebody I know was. The logical conclusion of this argument is that no one should vote, which of course would invalidate the argument if it happened.

by GuiA 10y ago

unclenoriega 10y ago

I don't understand this argument. They do count the votes. How many people have to stop voting before your vote is important enough? I agree that those other things you listed are important, but most of them are important because they ultimately connect to votes. Next time you call or write your representative, be sure to add that you don't vote, and neither do the people you can persuade. I doubt your opinion will count for much. Moreover, the presidential election isn't the only thing on the ballot. I'll grant you that many statewide races are a foregone conclusion on election day. (This may mean the primary is important though.) But a local race on my ballot in 2014 was decided by 561 votes. Now, I may not have been the deciding vote, but there's a decent chance somebody I know was. The logical conclusion of this argument is that no one should vote, which of course would invalidate the argument if it happened.