3 ms·

Why Many Americans Don't Vote

17 points by adrian_mrd 6y ago

ggm 6y ago
People put some hate on Australia for mandatory voting: it's actually only really mandatory turning up: you can ruin your ballot paper. That said, compulsory voting isn't a panacea but it does reduce the impact of apathy.
- NoPicklez 6y ago
  Whilst I don't take an active interest in our government (Australia). Due to the requirement to vote it does make you think each year, well if I do have to vote then where should I put my vote? And I do use sites such as isidewith.com to understand better not only the current issues in our country, but who fits closer with my views and what changes I'd like to see. I then vote from there. Additionally, because we all have to vote a lot more people at least have the conversation around who they're voting for. That approach may not work in the US as from what we have seen, Americans don't take well to things when they're mandatory.
jqpabc123 6y ago
The biggest reason people don't vote in national elections in the USA --- in many cases, it is a senseless exercise with zero impact on the outcome. Example: A Republican vote in a heavily Democratic state will have zero impact on the outcome --- and vice versa. It is only in a handful of "swing" states where your vote is likely to have any real impact. South Carolina is voting Republican, California is voting Democratic. I'm not psychic, just realistic. The outcome is not in doubt. Vote or not, the results will be the same.
- commandlinefan 6y ago
  When people talk about eliminating the electoral college, I always wonder what impact that might have on voter turnout. I can only imagine that democrats in Texas and republicans in California just stay home because they don’t think their vote matters.
  - salamimonger 6y ago
    That could make a lot of Californians or Texans uncomfortable knowing how many nonbelievers there really are in their state where they believe everyone is like them.
  - AtlasBarfed 6y ago
    Democrats in Texas may not be so marginal after this election. Texas has been predicted to become a tossup state within 20 years, and this year it is close enough to be flipped by good turnout. And if the GOP loses Texas as a bulwark, they become marginalized.
strikelaserclaw 6y ago
A) Because voting is a pain in the ass (In texas where i am, you have to register by printing out a piece of paper, and mailing it in, and then driving to a polling location and voting). And B) For the average person, they believe voting does nothing to affect their lives (D or R, they are all crooked, that is the belief of the average person).
babaganoosh89 6y ago
Registering to vote also opens you up to a lot more spam and depending on your county makes you more likely to get jury duty.
ElijahLynn 6y ago
Because we don't have a system where you can vote our conscience. Instead we have a system where we are shamed into voting for the one we think can win. And who wants to vote for the lesser of two evils (in some cases), it just isn't that passion-inducing. If we really want more American's to vote we will prioritize Ranked Choice Voting/RCV (or better (https://ncase.me/ballot/ https://ncase.me/ballot/)) ASAP, with vote verification. We want to make every voter feel and know that their vote counts. And we will also do that with a fully auditable. open source voting system with a paper trail. This needs to be done at the local level en mass first. Then move up to state and then federal level.

17 points by adrian_mrd 6y ago

ggm 6y ago

People put some hate on Australia for mandatory voting: it's actually only really mandatory turning up: you can ruin your ballot paper. That said, compulsory voting isn't a panacea but it does reduce the impact of apathy.

NoPicklez 6y ago
Whilst I don't take an active interest in our government (Australia). Due to the requirement to vote it does make you think each year, well if I do have to vote then where should I put my vote? And I do use sites such as isidewith.com to understand better not only the current issues in our country, but who fits closer with my views and what changes I'd like to see. I then vote from there. Additionally, because we all have to vote a lot more people at least have the conversation around who they're voting for. That approach may not work in the US as from what we have seen, Americans don't take well to things when they're mandatory.

jqpabc123 6y ago

The biggest reason people don't vote in national elections in the USA --- in many cases, it is a senseless exercise with zero impact on the outcome. Example: A Republican vote in a heavily Democratic state will have zero impact on the outcome --- and vice versa. It is only in a handful of "swing" states where your vote is likely to have any real impact. South Carolina is voting Republican, California is voting Democratic. I'm not psychic, just realistic. The outcome is not in doubt. Vote or not, the results will be the same.

commandlinefan 6y ago
When people talk about eliminating the electoral college, I always wonder what impact that might have on voter turnout. I can only imagine that democrats in Texas and republicans in California just stay home because they don’t think their vote matters.
- salamimonger 6y ago
  That could make a lot of Californians or Texans uncomfortable knowing how many nonbelievers there really are in their state where they believe everyone is like them.
- AtlasBarfed 6y ago
  Democrats in Texas may not be so marginal after this election. Texas has been predicted to become a tossup state within 20 years, and this year it is close enough to be flipped by good turnout. And if the GOP loses Texas as a bulwark, they become marginalized.

strikelaserclaw 6y ago

A) Because voting is a pain in the ass (In texas where i am, you have to register by printing out a piece of paper, and mailing it in, and then driving to a polling location and voting). And B) For the average person, they believe voting does nothing to affect their lives (D or R, they are all crooked, that is the belief of the average person).

babaganoosh89 6y ago

Registering to vote also opens you up to a lot more spam and depending on your county makes you more likely to get jury duty.

ElijahLynn 6y ago

Because we don't have a system where you can vote our conscience. Instead we have a system where we are shamed into voting for the one we think can win. And who wants to vote for the lesser of two evils (in some cases), it just isn't that passion-inducing. If we really want more American's to vote we will prioritize Ranked Choice Voting/RCV (or better (https://ncase.me/ballot/ https://ncase.me/ballot/)) ASAP, with vote verification. We want to make every voter feel and know that their vote counts. And we will also do that with a fully auditable. open source voting system with a paper trail. This needs to be done at the local level en mass first. Then move up to state and then federal level.