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To be clear: I am only stating this so anyone curious can know why people like me don't vote. I am not pushing any agenda. I don't vote on purpose, I see that

To be clear: I am only stating this so anyone curious can know why people like me don't vote. I am not pushing any agenda. I don't vote on purpose, I see that as a vote against the typical choices given,none of which I can reconcile with my views in any of the important topics. Not stating a political opinion,just telling you what I am thinking when I don't vote. I have no plan on being in politics. I know better than to think a dual party system is significantly different than a single party system. I also believe the freedom and liberties of the west are mostly a result of a strong military and abundance of resources. Right now there are so many messed up things, I cannot vote for one thing and accept a lesser evil,not only because I believe you should never accept evil of any magnitude but also because the evils of either side are too extreme for me to be involved with. I don't mind paying taxes, contributing to society and trying to be come a better social person but the duopoly of US politics is a system I must vote against by not voting at all. I don't care which bad guy wins. I do think that the big parties should be broken up so that people actually have a voice. I like how parliamentary systems form a coalition of different parties to form a government. No confidence votes against the PM and it's never some guy running for office to rescue the country like in the US. It shouldn't be about any single person. I have no hope of any of this happening. I see the US swinginf from one extreme to the other tearing itself apart to the delight of its foes, why should I help destroy the one country keeping the balance of power in the world , so that wars break out and millions die? Will no one listen to history's plea? That's my perspective at least, I am sure others have their reason. But to a lesser degree at least, I think many just don't agree with the choices so they choose "none of the above". Look at any site with political leanings, centrists are mocked and hated by everyone. It's not so much the government system but the people themselves that can't grapple with magnitudes of the extreme sides they are taking.

Retric 7y ago
Voting 3rd party has vastly more impact than obtaining. A great deal of effort by both parties is spent to get poeple to stay home on Election Day, and not voting just tells them it’s working.
- badrabbit 7y ago
  In an ideal world you're right. In reality, unless you are in a swing state and very active in politics 3rd party vote means nothing, I would vote just for the sake of it but there needs to be a moderate 3rd party to start with. I have noticed a division of two means us vs them. A division of more than two is us vs us (we need to work together not apart since no one can have a super majority)
  - Retric 7y ago
    Modern Whigs are very centrist, though it’s really more extreme parties that pull the Republicans and Democrats apart. Without that pull the parties then to adopt the vast majority of viewpoints excluding a few token issues.
- sircastor 7y ago
  A friend of my mine often votes 3rd party as an effort of trying to drive the major parties towards his preferred viewpoint. He might be able to get a candidate he likes if the party sees there are votes to be courted that aren't too far off the mainline
toast0 7y ago
This is a fine opinion, but I don't think it should prevent you from returning a ballot. If more people with your opinion return ballots with no selections made (or maybe some downballot selections made, but none for the top offices), the difference between turnout and votes for the top office will become noticable, and your dissatisfaction will be noticed. Otherwise, it looks the same as 'everyone else is doing a fine job voting, my input isn't needed'
clSTophEjUdRanu 7y ago
I respect your opinion but I highly dislike the "not voting for the lesser evil" logic. Every candidate no matter what is a "lesser evil" because no candidate can be perfect.
- SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
  It's not about an expectation of perfection. I (and I assume the original commenter) think that many politicians aren't merely imperfect but actively bad. They stand for principles I don't agree with, or intend to enact their principles with strategies I find intolerable. I'd like to vote for a perfect person, but a merely good person is fine too; what I won't do is endorse a bad person to help them win a political race against another bad person.
bryanlarsen 7y ago
Most jurisdictions count spoiled ballots. Doing this is a much clearer signal of your opinion than not voting.
brianhorakh 7y ago
Voting none of the above encourages alternatives. Not voting is seen as apathy. We need to break this broken two party system on a state by state basis. I hope californias future 10% tax ubi includes a voting component. Also tbe ability to vote for two candidates but not a third would also be useful.

Retric 7y ago

Voting 3rd party has vastly more impact than obtaining. A great deal of effort by both parties is spent to get poeple to stay home on Election Day, and not voting just tells them it’s working.

badrabbit 7y ago
In an ideal world you're right. In reality, unless you are in a swing state and very active in politics 3rd party vote means nothing, I would vote just for the sake of it but there needs to be a moderate 3rd party to start with. I have noticed a division of two means us vs them. A division of more than two is us vs us (we need to work together not apart since no one can have a super majority)
- Retric 7y ago
  Modern Whigs are very centrist, though it’s really more extreme parties that pull the Republicans and Democrats apart. Without that pull the parties then to adopt the vast majority of viewpoints excluding a few token issues.
sircastor 7y ago
A friend of my mine often votes 3rd party as an effort of trying to drive the major parties towards his preferred viewpoint. He might be able to get a candidate he likes if the party sees there are votes to be courted that aren't too far off the mainline

toast0 7y ago

This is a fine opinion, but I don't think it should prevent you from returning a ballot. If more people with your opinion return ballots with no selections made (or maybe some downballot selections made, but none for the top offices), the difference between turnout and votes for the top office will become noticable, and your dissatisfaction will be noticed. Otherwise, it looks the same as 'everyone else is doing a fine job voting, my input isn't needed'

clSTophEjUdRanu 7y ago

I respect your opinion but I highly dislike the "not voting for the lesser evil" logic. Every candidate no matter what is a "lesser evil" because no candidate can be perfect.

SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
It's not about an expectation of perfection. I (and I assume the original commenter) think that many politicians aren't merely imperfect but actively bad. They stand for principles I don't agree with, or intend to enact their principles with strategies I find intolerable. I'd like to vote for a perfect person, but a merely good person is fine too; what I won't do is endorse a bad person to help them win a political race against another bad person.

bryanlarsen 7y ago

Most jurisdictions count spoiled ballots. Doing this is a much clearer signal of your opinion than not voting.

brianhorakh 7y ago

Voting none of the above encourages alternatives. Not voting is seen as apathy. We need to break this broken two party system on a state by state basis. I hope californias future 10% tax ubi includes a voting component. Also tbe ability to vote for two candidates but not a third would also be useful.