Assuming there’s nothing stopping you from legally voting
My mom never registered to vote “because I don’t want to be picked for jury duty!” (stupid boomer face)
don’t pick me for jury duty because always guilty 100% idgaf
Jury duty wasn’t fun (child abuse case), but it was one hell of an education. I’m still greatful to have had such smart fellow jurors so we could really consider everything. You get to see how the world works.
Wow so she was a bad citizen in two ways.
WTF?! In some states, your registered for jury duty when you get a driver’s license…
That’s what I told her!
Voting is harder in the US. I can almost get that the one party has made it more difficult to vote because it benefits that party. I am ever in awe at the hardship americans can sometimes endure to vote, and then see it nullified.
Voting in Canada is quaint but effective: I go to a polling place, I - now, Americans, this is gonna offend you - bring my driver’s license to prove my ID, they write a line through my name on a piece of paper, I take the paper fn ballot behind the cardboard half-screen like it’s high-school, and mark a big X in a few boxes, fold it and drop it into another cardboard box carefully marked ‘ballots’. Then people count them by hand and by the end of the night we’re 100% done.
Not everyone has a system as simple and effective. It’s a massive effort to vote in America, and I’d love to see that fixed as well.
The last four times I’ve voted. I spent, on average, less than ten minutes from arriving at the place to vote, and leaving that place. And I don’t mean at the booth itself. I’d say from when I parked the car, to when I left in the car… but I walked. 10 minutes (the first 3 times) and after moving, 5 minutes last time.
It’s amazing how shit things can get, when enough people deliberately want to make it more shit. You know who and what I’m talking about. If not, I’d be happy to clarify.
Living in a state with universal mail-in voting, I honestly think I just don’t understand how hard it is in states without that.
- Laziness / lack of any urgency that it will matter or make a difference to them personally
- They’re a disinformation campaign, and taking time telling you about refusing to vote is their attempt to influence the election
I suspect that almost everyone will fall into one of those two categories
“Doctors of Reddit…”
“I’m not a doctor, but…”
That’s your energy right there. Came in here hoping for actual answers and this trash comment is top. Pure speculation from someone on the opposite side.
I think there’s a third category, though may be a small offset of the first. Those who would like to, but don’t have the day off and can’t afford it.
They’re gonna have trouble affording smuggled oranges and tinned meat, too, when they’re in the camps with bread and water as the standard food.
I’m not tryin to sit in judgement. But also, this one is fuckin important.
Well it maybe be fuckin important but people have to fuckin eat and have a roof over their fuckin heads, too
1/3 of the possible voting populace doesn’t vote because they are told it won’t make a difference, when the last presidential election came down to a few thousand votes. Bugs the hell out of me.
“Making a difference” and “electing one of two unpopular candidates” don’t necessarily go hand in hand.
That’s like eating shit and lightning yourself on fire instead of just eating shit.
When you compare our choices to eating shit or eating shit and lighting yourself on fire, is it really much of a question why people aren’t volunteering to do either of those things?
When those are the only two options, fuck yeah: Picking nothing is way worse than picking the least bad option. You’ll be either the metaphorical shit regardless, why risk worse?
Continuing to vote against the other candidate rather than voting for who you want allows them to keep doing worse and worse because that other party is always going to be there and always considered worse and supporters of that party will look at the other side and do the same. There is zero accountability for either side to the point where both candidates now openly support genocide and you have people arguing that “you’re a piece of shit for not supporting them.”
By continuing to vocally support eating shit, you’re ensuring that in a few elections we’ll be supporting eating shit and lighting ourselves on fire because the other side will be eating shit, lighting ourselves on fire, and giving a rim job to a horse. To support our current system is to support a race to the bottom.
People can and should criticize flaws, but to not vote because you don’t like either choice solves absolutely nothing, guaranteeing only that things will get worse. Your argument simply does not hold up and you’re arguing against something I never claimed.
We should continue to push for and work towards things like ranked choice voting, but letting the worst of the worst win is guaranteed to prevent progress.
One is going to be picked for you either way. Not voting doesn’t stop the shit eating from happening, just allows the lighting on fire to also happen.
By choosing the less shit option, politicians will see they need to be less shit to get elected, eventually to the point of maybe even having good candidates. Allowing the worst candidate to win tells the politicians they can get worse and still have their coveted power.
By choosing the less shit option, politicians will see they need to be less shit to get elected, eventually to the point of maybe even having good candidates.
This is demonstrably false. After Obama was elected twice we got Trump. Clinton was picked in 2016 and was so terrible that she couldn’t beat the orange turd. After her loss they gave us a “status quo” clone of her who barely managed to defeat the orange turd. Now we’re faced with the exact same choice and polling shows that it’s likely to end up like it did in 2016. Both parties continue to move further and further right regardless of who’s getting elected and we’re being forced to choose from the same tiny pool of candidates every election even though there are hundreds of millions of people in this country.
“Unpopular” is a pretty carefully chosen criterion there
Damn straight which is why the Dems handed a win to Trump in 2016 and why polling shows that he’s likely to win again this year. It takes careful choosing to pick someone that people dislike so much that he can’t even win against a bloated orange fascist.
If the two unpopular candidates were perfectly equal then your argument might have weight, but in my book there’s one that’s horrible, and one that’s not great, but also not horrible.
Politics never has a good candidate, it’s always between two bad choices. It’s just choosing the best of the two.
Politics never has a good candidate, it’s always between two bad choices.
Well now you’re catching on to why so many people don’t even bother. It’s almost as if these two parties want it that way so they can maintain their control. Why do you think the Democrats keep picking candidates that either lose or struggle to win against someone like Trump?
I guess in my thinking, if the act of not voting means you are okay with letting the worst candidate win, then by not voting it means I’m okay with a lot of innocent people being hurt by the horrid policies of the worse candidate. By voting for the lesser of two evils, I’m more saying “I don’t want that other candidate”.
You’re trying to say it’s their plot to give you two candidates. What if their plot is instead to convince you not to vote, so their bad candidate gets in easier because you could have helped stop it?
What are you helping to stop when both candidates are terrible? You’re helping in the same way that “thoughts and prayers” helps people. You’re simply participating in a rigged game and thinking that your participation is some sort of moral choice and “doing the right thing” when in reality that feeling is just self-gratification.
If you think you’re helping, why does the political landscape continue to devolve and slide further to the right regardless of who wins? Why are more and more people becoming poor and homeless while a handful of companies and individuals are reaping all the rewards? That’s the trajectory you’re arguing to help maintain here.
Personally the farther left we go, the louder the right gets. To me, I see a losing battle that they’re desperately trying to win. They may win temporarily now and again, but overwhelmingly the younger generations are more liberal. It’s why we see the desperate grab for power now, they know even with the tricks it’s just a matter of time.
And for your first, I stand by what I said. Your assumption is that both candidates are equal, so what’s the point. Except from my point of view, one is vastly better than the alternative, so there is a point.
Even if you’re in a non “swing” state, the totals shifting in some new direction will influence it becoming a non swing state over time. It still matters. Both ways.
This was the way the crazy people got abortion banned: They picked something that was crazy out of reach, and kept working for it until it was in reach. Instead of just saying “oh well who cares, it is difficult, I will wait until someone else makes it easy.”
Exactly, the reason it happened is because we became complacent to the point where the only way to win votes for them was to win the craziest sector, they knew everyone else would just keep voting (or not voting). They campaigned constantly because people would froth at the mouth over it and they knew they were single issue voters.
If the 1/3 of the people who don’t vote showed up in this election it could actually make a huge difference, hell it could show that the parties need to rethink their entire strategies. They still won’t though, but they should.
If you’re not someone who doesn’t vote and you’re simply speculating, I would suggest you delete this comment.
I will give your suggestion 100% of the careful attention and obedience that it deserves.
OP deserves someone participating in the conversation who can honestly answer the question they’ve asked. Your speculation only adds to the ignorance others already have. You are enforcing an echo chamber and being disrespectful.
I mean your comment isn’t 100% off base. I was just being a little prickly about it for reasons that will become clear below – so the reason I chimed in is:
- Me saying my piece on it in no way makes it difficult for others who want to answer the question to give the answers OP deserves.
- Some of the people who are going to answer this question who fall into category #2 are going to lie, by definition, and I think it’s relevant to point that out and be able to talk about it (that that factor is relevant to the discussion). If everyone was coming into this discussion and telling the truth, then yes it would be inappropriate for someone else to come in and say what those other people’s answers were probably going to be.
A long debate about whether or not there are political astroturf accounts on Lemmy is probably off topic here, so I made a thread which might be a little more suited to it.
Dude is just a douche who wants his soapbox.
Depends on what is getting voted on. Posts on Lemmy? Eh… Maybe if I find them especially good or bad. Can’t be bothered otherwise.
In that one instance where I didn’t vote… It was a local election with exactly two candidates. One of which told ahead of election day that should he win he would refuse to take office. So yeah… Didn’t bother with that.
Just curious - why would he be a candidate if he’s not running for office?
Good question… If I remember correctly his motivation was to give a choice besides the only person that would have been on the ballot otherwise. Perhaps a moral choice because he thought that there should be at least another choice even if the result is the same in a good democracy.
And it’s a good right to exercise for everyone even if you then choose not to take that position for one reason or another. Who knows what reason someone has, maybe just to be more well known…
Please consider voting. Don’t ignore your political voice.
I didn’t vote for years because I was busy trying to keep my head above water and I just couldn’t wrap my head around politics. I had my own shit to deal with during that time.
It’s one day, with most states allowing mail-in in advance. You have no excuse for not fulfilling your duty as a citizen to ensure least negative outcome of elections.
I had my own shit to deal with
So does every other fucking adult, and now we have even more shit to deal with, thanks for that
It takes one day to do the actual voting. It takes a lot more time to figure out who to vote for.
Everyone should invest that time.
He’s saying he didn’t even know what was happening. I bet trump won 2016 because in some peoples minds “it’s boll clintons wife vs the guy from the pizza hut ads…well I LIKE pizza!”
Before trump won, his “policies” weren’t well known. It’s hard to remember, but when he won, people were surprised that the joke candidate won. I’m sure some people clueless to politics did it for the lulz.
Don’t berate people like this man
And here’s the long version - for those that are interested.
I assume a good chunk of people who don’t vote live in non-contested counties/states and feel that it’s pointless to vote.
Which is weird, because in those cases you can vote for whatever 3rd party candidate is closest to what you want. In the distant past I voted Green for this reason, knowing it didn’t matter. (Since then the state swung left a bit and I vote Democrat. I even registered as Democrat to vote for Bernie in the primaries…)
I do the same since I live in Basically a red state.
Apolitical spectator.
You’re part of the problem, removing a sane voice only allows the insane to be heard that much more.
Whose problem? I just said I operate as an apolitical spectator.
I’m from the UK, I don’t vote simply because I don’t trust the shit politicians come out with during election periods and because of this I worry I will vote the wrong way. Time and time again promises are made and you never really seem to see the difference.
For example, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s been promised since Brexit more money will go into the NHS to release the pressure on the service. Yet the NHS seems to be in the worst condition currently it’s ever been in.
The NHS is bad by design. You can’t convert a great system to whatever the shit is in the US that makes. Avery select few people very rich. You first need to break it down by pulling money out of it, pull more money out of it, more still, then when it starts breaking down, complain about how badly it works and propose this wonderful new system that will fix all of that! Privatize everything and then move to whatever shit they have in the US and get rich
I mean, look at how great privatizing the rail system has worked out in the UK!
Our railways are fucked, our healthcare system is hanging by a thread. I’m so grateful for NHS care and investigations in the last year - dread to think how much Americans would have to pay to find out they have a shitty disease, let alone treat it.
I moved from the UK in my early 20s, prior to that I was young and stupid, so I neglected to vote there. Then I moved to America and started the green card process, and didn’t feel it was right to vote for things back in the UK as it wasn’t my home anymore and it wasn’t my place to say what should happen there. I finally naturalized around a decade after I moved here, and immediately signed up to vote. I actually cried at the polling station because I was so happy to vote for the first time ever!
Ok
I knew I was going to be out of town for voting day and started working to get an absentee ballot three months out. I got my ballot in the mail a week after it was due for me to send in to be counted.
I’m not sure the election system is not fixed.
But I would vote in this election if I were American. A lot is at stake. Which old man will smell the most.
Who are you supposed to vote for when you feel it doesn’t matter? Or when you feel that all candidates are insufficient?
Additionally, if we’re speaking of the US, the electoral college can and will supercede the popular vote. We literally put these people in power just to say we’re wrong and they will quickly say we’re wrong and work against the popular votes because we gave them the authority
when you feel it doesn’t matter
Nobody should give a fuck about how it fEeLs. Elections are verifiable and essential. You cry about the electoral college and yet don’t vote which gives said EC even more of an advantage.
Having a rough day? Need someone to blame for it? That’s cool. Have at it
The electoral college only applies to Presidential elections, but there are many more elections happening for primaries, local, and state elections, where the electoral college doesn’t apply. Your vote in these elections is arguably more important than the presidential election and there have been many cases of elections coming down to under a hundred votes.
As for candidates who are insufficient, your vote is not an endorsement of the policies of the candidate, and is an objection to other candidates. This is the flaw of our two party system, and the only optimal strategy is to vote against who you don’t want to be president. Voting for representatives who advocate for ranked voting is how this can be fixed, but requires voting in non-presidential elections to create the change, along with a whole set of other challenges.
Ah yes the classic, “i cant decide between voting for fascism or against it. Really tough choice”
Kinda telling of how poor of a choice the Democratic candidates have been that they can’t or can barely sway enough votes in their favor when this is on the line.
Is the one trying to overthrow democracy the fascist or the one funding the ethnic cleansing?
The one that wants to overthrow democracy and would like to fund the ethnic cleansing at an even higher rate/amount is the fascist. The one that has encouraged Israel to go faster / do more in Gaza is the fascist. I do not like Biden’s weakness confronting Israel, but one is a cheerleader, and one is weakly pushing for caution.
Not just funding but delivering planes, bombs, and weapons.
Hey. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf on social media. In situations like this, I will be absolutely serious, direct, and respectful. Regardless of if you disagree with my view, I politely ask the same thing. We need to talk to each other with respect regardless of our views. Agreed?
Ok I will rephrase to be polite and respectful.
When you are presented with the option of voting for or against fascism, what makes that choice difficult?
I’ll continue to say this question still isn’t being asked in good faith.
Of course the ballot isn’t literally, “do u want fascism or nah”
It’s between two politicians. You and I are agree that one side is almost inherently better than the other, but you have to remember that a. the other side also believes that they are inherently better than the other, and b. not everyone believes that either side is inherently better than the other.
Judging by your comments I’m assuming you’re pro-choice; if someone asked you, “when presented with the choice of outlawing the murder babies, what makes that choice difficult for you?”, you’d rightfully say they aren’t posing the question in a fair way to you. It’s the same thing here, if you’re trying to communicate with someone who doesn’t outright agree with you you can’t just outright attack their position or frame it in a negative light or you just make them defensive and not receptive to an alternative view.
Of course the ballot isn’t literally, “do u want fascism or nah”
This specific election is literally just this
If you’re speaking hyperbolically, sure. But when you’re trying to have a genuine conversation with someone regarding a serious topic, using hyperbolic speech to belittle someone’s position is pretty lame
If you’re speaking hyperbolically, sure.
They are not. If trump wins many people will die. And he will be the new forever king of America.
I’ve voted in every election since Bush senior in 1988 and I do not believe the other guy is speaking hyperbolically at all. It’s so different this time. It truly is.
You are as pathetic as your weak defense of abandoning your most important civic duty. Your weakness hurts us all. Shame on you.
It’s not a difficult choice at all because, you said it yourself; voting for or against when I already stated that I would vote for no one because we as a nation have put people in power that have the authority to supercede our vote. It’s not a left or a right thing. It’s not a democracy or fascism thing. It’s a fact that every single American has to contend with because WE as American citizens allowed it to happen. Isn’t that democracy?
Ok so you are deciding to not use your right, and thus will have no right to comment on the results of the election.
“I dont care either way”
Yes I do
mhm. So you don’t want to vote. But will then whinge and whine about the result regardless
OP wants to know why people don’t vote. If you believe in voting you’re probably not going to like any of the answers but they shouldn’t be downvoted for answering the question as asked.
Unfettered capitalism has masterfully created a self-serve corporatocracy that filters money straight to the political parties who, in turn, pose puppet leaders in front of the masses to grant a semblance of choice. No good will come of this “Weekend at Bernie’s” farce of an election. Under current auspices, only more greed, lies, and violence are to follow.
Sorry, disenfranchisement and apoplexy are all that remain.
You’re permitted to do more than be sad
No good will come of this “Weekend at Bernie’s” farce of an election.
Hard disagree.
Anybody who has actually followed what Trump has does / is doing vs what Biden has does / is doing knows there’s a clear distinction between the two. One is clearly a worse choice. It reads like you’re just intoxicated by the smelling of your own farts.
Ok.
How dare you accuse him of excessive fart-huffing. Jenkum plays a significant role in many cultures and economic systems. Educate yourself. Huff a splort.
You’ve given into despair and have opted out entirely, which is exactly what the people you gripe about want you to do. Congratulations, you’ve surrendered.
You may well be correct on all counts.
A question was asked, and I answered honestly from my perspective.
Voting is easy as hell, you have no excuse. Shame on you, quite literally part of the problem.
I encourage you to reconsider and vote for whatever you perceive to be the least of all evils. Voting is relatively easy and doesn’t require much effort. It’s literally the least you can do. Yes, may not matter in the end, but it can still inform certain statistics that can be used to support various messages and arguments down the line. If you don’t vote at all, you guarantee you have no impact. Don’t throw away the little power you have.
Duly noted, and I appreciate your not relegating my opinion to snorting self-sourced methane expulsions.
The harder notion for me here is that I have been voting since Bush Sr. / Clinton. This toilet keeps spinning faster as we get closer to the drain.
Until recent years, I believed that voting was exercising my rights and fighting the good fight. Maybe I’m jaded, which I think is fair, but I do think, in light of the circus we’ve watched the the past 8 years, that we’ve entered a new arena where violence ultimately is where this is headed. Someone responded here that I have permission to be something other than sad. Unfortunately, I disagree. When the shots ring out in political rage, we’ve effectively lost our civility.
I will reconsider my decision to not vote, but the bitterness might win out.
Even if this does end in political violence or civil war, if you vote, at least you will have tried to avoid that fate by participating in our democracy as much as possible. Voting is just so easy to do, how can you justify not doing it as anything but laziness? It can’t hurt and takes almost no effort.
Because our system is so broken it’s like playing TF2 in 2020.
Probably more of a reason to vote.
