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A lot of people think the polls are rigged and our vote doesn't matter and others think that we make a difference voting. I don't vote not because I don't think Ill make a difference but because im just flat out lazy.
I agree.......Voting is rigged to get who they want in regardless of the results!!!
Do I think that in the current era of America, that voting is anything more than a perfunctory exercise? No
With the low information voters and people who do not contribute anything to society in the way of taxation, job creation or property ownership having a right to vote, there is truly no value in casting a vote anymore.
84% of incumbents are re-elected, even when congressional approval is at 10%. People no longer vote based on principles, but on party ideology and on what the media tells them to believe. We choose a president based on the "coolness" factor or whether the candidate is someone you want to have a beer with. We choose a president because it will be "historical" (the first this or that). We need to be denied the right to vote for a few decades, then maybe we will cherish the right like the people in Iraq, who were willing to die for that right. People are no longer engaged in being an America and taking the steps to be an informed and thoughtful voter. IMO of course.
Our government now is about money - only money. We have the best government that money will buy and those with the money buy the candidates that they want to have in office. This next election will be worth billions (plural) being spent on getting the next president elected and it’s not just the president but most of our elected representatives. Get the money and the lobbyists out of government if you want “change†in America.
If you don’t vote you don’t have anything to b*tch about. I’m an optimist however and I vote hoping for something better.
I do believe that our voting system is broken. We have a plurality voting system (first past the post) that essentially locks-in a two-party system, there's a huge amount of voter apathy, and our campaign finance system is a joke. A lot needs to be done to fix our electoral system!
Here's my question.
I've noticed a lot of users here who say that voting is "pointless" because "they're all the same anyway". At least one user says that citizens have a duty not to vote because it would be "recognizing the process as legitimate." In general, I have noticed a general disdain for voting out of apathy or fear of legitimization.
So then what would a perfect system of governance be? Say what you will about voting, but at least citizens have an opportunity to have influence over who represents them. What other options are available, a dictatorship? Sure, on one hand you don't have to vote anymore, but on the other hand, you'd better hope that the ruler in question is benevolent, or you'll have to start worrying about a lot more than voting rights.
Winston Churchill made a good quote about this once. "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
If it were a true democracy and each vote counted than yes voting would be absolutely important. The way it currently works though it is way more important to vote for your local congressmen because after all its the electoral college votes that matter.
On the flip side if I don't like any of the candidates running, why should I vote? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I also don't like the fact that its all about money, id be just as happy to see Joe Smith with a good head on his shoulder but no cash in the bank run for President, after all, its ideas that people vote for, not the person, right? haha.
Yes, it's important to vote even if I rarely like the choices. I try to vote in run-offs and as much as possible. Many people are apathetic when it comes to local politics. Often people reap what they sow by not voting.
I try to stay an informed voter, but I know at times I am not. Local politics stinks anywhere, and over time I have become less politically engaged because I am tired of hearing the same crap spouted from politicians year after year. The political process is about the same decade after decade. Nothing much has "changed" in that regard.
This will not be popular opinion but honestly i don't vote most the time because i think they are all idiots. I can elect a retarded democrat or a retarded republican, either way nothing of value or benefit will be done in office. I could care less what your political affiliation is, all i care about is what is best for the general public. Too much of politics are based on what is best for the group that can pay the most. Our whole system is largely a joke and only a minuscule representation of what our founders wanted. (I am referencing federal and state level voting in my rant, at the local level at least some change occurs)
I completely agree. I don't vote either because nothing changes in our political system. All the politicians are out for themselves. They try to snow us with lofty speeches, but it's all lies. Once they get in office they do whatever they want. They don't care about the people at all. Both parties do it, so it doesn't make any difference. Thus, I don't think my, or anyone else's vote, matters at all. So to all the haters who say if I don't vote, I can't make a change, even when I do, the result is the same: nothing.
If it were a true democracy and each vote counted than yes voting would be absolutely important. The way it currently works though it is way more important to vote for your local congressmen because after all its the electoral college votes that matter.
On the flip side if I don't like any of the candidates running, why should I vote? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I also don't like the fact that its all about money, id be just as happy to see Joe Smith with a good head on his shoulder but no cash in the bank run for President, after all, its ideas that people vote for, not the person, right? haha.
When the framers of the Constitution set up this government it wasn't expected that people would make a career out of politics, this is why Senate terms are 6 years while House terms are 2 years. Once Congressmen figured out they could make a living being a congressmen then it all became a money game to them. Of course, We the People do have an opportunity to limit their terms by voting them out of office.
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