the "have i failed as a parent" thread got me thinking.


I personally don't think voting is the obligation of anybody. The right to vote implies the right not to vote as well.

In fact, i think that not voting makes a political statement just as strong, if not stronger, about the state of American (or any country's) politics. This is true as long as it's not a "i don't care" or "i'm too lazy" reason.


I don't want somebody who doesn't know what the issues are to vote because that takes away the effectiveness of my vote. That's not to say that person doesn't have the right to vote... i'm just saying that person should abstain because they don't know the issues.

Informed voting is a requirement for a democracy to maintain those elements which both sustain it and make it worth sustaining.

If voting is an obligation, then staying informed beyond watching the nightly news and reading Newsweek is as well. Whether those individuals who are ludicrous enough to care that Bush made funny faces during a debate or that Kerry made an obvious "love me" hunting trip ought to vote...that's a stickier issue. How does one determine an acceptable level of awareness? You can't have a true democracy while voices are going unheard, but a democracy will almost certainly run off track and may even derail if uninformed, semi-conscious individuals vote. I declare, democracy has failed?

jesus ... who knew being in a democracy requires homework?

Along the same lines, I've always felt that while a democracy is the most fair or just form of government, it's for this very reason that it does not produce the most desirable leaders.

But anyway, as to the thread question.. definitely an option.

I personally feels obliged to vote. I want to have a say in who leads my country.
If other people feel like they don't care how their country is run or who by, or think that not voting is making a political statement, then so be it. They'll be the first to complain when things don;t go the way they'd like.
Voting is the most sincere political statement you can make. There are more than two chocies.

As a daughter of a politician, I always felt that voting is an obligation. This is OUR country not theirs. The politicians WE vote into offices are merely OUR voice pieces. Therefore, WE better vote in people who represesnt OUR VALUES and WANTS. When it all comes down to it, especially in foreign affairs, it is the american people who are held accountable. And we should be...that is democracy!
So please vote or shut up!

Definitely an option. Or as I prefer to call it, a right. Whether it is to be exercised should depend on the person.

I do not believe that any person should be obliged to vote. I've just finished my own election, helping out my party with handing out how to vote cards, and you can tell that there's a shitload of people who don't really care, but showed up because they had to.

This isn't how democracy is supposed to work.

A TV program was doing vox pops and showed someone who said he'll vote for one guy because he doesn't like the other guy's eyebrows. Another person is voting for this other guy because he doesn't like the other guy having man boobs.

Voting is good. Go vote, but only if you do care, and only if you know what you're doing.

I just wonder what would happen if most people decided they don't need to vote. I believe there would be a select few who then would make the decisions for all of us. I don't find that a democracy.

All I have to say to people is that if you don't go vote then I don't want to hear any bitching about who gets in, what policies get initiated, etc...

Its ok not to vote, just dont be bitchin' about anything.

I wholehartedly disagree with statements like this. It's naive to assume that the only difference one can make is by voting, and therefore by not voting they forfeit any right to disagree or protest.
There are other things one can do to make a difference other than voting. It's not the end all of ways to make change.

no way does not voting make a stronger statement than voting. If you don't vote because you're boycotting the election, in the end, it means the same as someone who didn't vote because they were lazy or didn't care. how can anyone disguish the reasons people didn't vote?

however, if you don't believe in any of the candidates on the ballot and don't vote, you can still advocate certain issues that are important to you and still make a difference. but simply not voting really doesn't make a statement at all.

I don't think you need to distinguish the reasons people don't vote. In the end, it just shows that our system of doing things is so poor that people don't feel they need to vote and be a part of it. For whatever the reason. We're already at the point where the majority of the voting population does not vote. This is a clear sign to me that we have problems with the whole process.

Near the top of the list of things that need to be changed is the electoral college. Get rid of it. Make people feel as if their vote actually means something as opposed to only those who live in swing states.

The way electoral votes are cast is decided by each state. The winner-take-all system that 48 states use can be changed, but its a state issue. Changing state electoral laws is be a lot easier to do than amending the constitution.

Indeed. I understand the roadblocks of changing it. But do you see what I'm saying? Voters feel disenfranchised for many reasons, but getting this changed would be a good start.

How would changing something that has existed since the beginning of voting make people feel more involved?

Without the Electoral College, our government would be nothing more than a Ken Burns baseball documentary.

I do understand what you're saying, and i understand why people feel that way. but i feel that apathy is too much of a problem, and we need to cure that before we can go about advocating sweeping changes to the system.

I live in California. My vote does absolutely nothing to get Bush out of office. If we went by popular vote instead, then my vote actually means something.

That makes sense. I think they are both connected to some degree though. Certainly there are many, many other reasons why people don't vote. But one of the big ones is the electoral college. I suppose smaller changes are the only way to move in another direction. I just hope it goes in that direction.

Similarly, I used to live in South Dakota and, essentially, come presidential election time thousands of liberals stay home because there is nowhere near enough numbers to outvote the massive collection of Republican party-voters. Those are people who would be far more likely to vote under a popular vote system. I'm sure there are similar cases involving conservatives in this country.