If you don't vote, tell us why

[Alt Dach]

Originally Posted by oneworld25

During the 2004 Presidential election only 55.3% of all eligible Americans chose to exercise their right to vote. I don't even want to think about what the voter turnout stats are for elections at the local and state levels. Given that so many Americans choose not to vote, I'm assuming there must be some on this forum who don't vote. Could you please tell me (and everyone else) why you choose not to vote? I'm not looking to chastise anybody, I just want to know your reasons for not voting.

A logical reason could be that it is imoral to participate in an illegitamate activity.

[thrillobyte]

I had a cousin who fell into a cesspool when we were kids. It's a wonder he didn't catch a hundred different diseases. But I remember him smelling so rank afterwards that I nearly vomited. I get the same feeling when I hold a ballot in my hands. Just the thought of filling it out and casting it sends waves of nausea over me. I feel like I have to go running to the shower and scrub myself with pumice until my skin is raw in order to get the filth completely off me. Honestly that's how I feel.

[ScientistDub]

Hi, I am a 22 year old male college graduate. I DO NOT VOTE EVER FOR ANYTHING. Why?
1. politicians are rich corrupt s.o.b.s, I hate them all as people. They grew up rich, their parents were rich, their cousins, aunt, uncles, grandparents are rich. So their morals are totally F'ed. They had everything handed to them as children and grew up being pushed to get good grades and always do good in school and grow up to be what daddy wants. Well I'll tell you something all politicians are fake shells of real people. They were all forced into doing things their whole lives and they lack a soul.
2. its the dems vs. the repubs, or old white guy vs, old black guy. I can relate to the presidential candidates like a old sack of laundry can relate to a piece of cheese. I have my own opinions and ideals and they don't line up with either of the candidates usually, and even if they did I would go right back to number 1 and still be sitting on the couch on election day.
3. politicians LIE, even if there is some candidate that I can relate to, that's exactly what they wanted me to do. They wanted me to fall into their trap of making people like them. Then as soon as they're in office they can do whatever the hell they want.
4. Even if I go out and vote and my candidate wins, so what the world is still F'ed. IT DOESN"T MATTER. On a day to day basis politics affect me 0. Oh well what about taxes and this and that and blah blah blah. No you're still wrong, as long as I'm living my life and I'm happy then politics are just fine where they are.
Basically I'm happy with our country and I don't need to vote to continue living my life how I do. I trust our system to a point and thats good enough for me. I'm glad there's a bunch of "people" called politicians out there wasting their whole lives so I can kick back and enjoy life. If they want to do something, how about making sense. like if you're going to have alcohol be legal then for god's sake make weed legal. Just b/c alcohol is socially acceptable then it's okay for alcohol to be responsible for more deaths than all murders/accidents/terrorism combined. that is all

[Talibanic]

"If you don't vote, tell us why"

OK. I don't vote because it's an entirely farcical process. Hanging chads, rigged polling machines, oil lobbyists and the practice of having an Electoral College wherein rather than directly voting for the President and Vice President, U.S. citizens cast votes for electors makes the whole process an irrelevant sham.

The democratic voting concept might have worked for the ancient Greeks while they had only a relatively handful of voters participating, but with a population of approx 300 million and a convoluted & rigged voting process the whole event has become just a delusional feel-good exercise in futility.

So go ahead and vote and write your congressman and wave your flags, American politicians sure need the laughs!.

[TKramar]

Originally Posted by oneworld25

During the 2004 Presidential election only 55.3% of all eligible Americans chose to exercise their right to vote. I don't even want to think about what the voter turnout stats are for elections at the local and state levels. Given that so many Americans choose not to vote, I'm assuming there must be some on this forum who don't vote. Could you please tell me (and everyone else) why you choose not to vote? I'm not looking to chastise anybody, I just want to know your reasons for not voting.

One, I don't believe that someone else should have power over me. I don't support the "system".

Two, you can't trust any politician to act in YOUR best interests...so why pick any of them?

[Talibanic]

Originally Posted by TKramar

...
Two, you can't trust any politician to act in YOUR best interests...so why pick any of them?

Number Two above is the key question to the whole issue. What manner do I have of ensuring that any given politician will indeed be true to his pre-elected promises and thus acting in my best interests?.

NONE at all.

Once his/her squirmy butt has settled into and had a taste of the good ol' Power Chair it'll take DYNAMITE to get them out. What are YOU or I going to do about it?. Go on a hunger strike?. Hold our breathes til we're blue?.

March for a recall?. OK, true that last one does work 1.5 % of the times but only when it's a minor official in question. But how about the other 98.5 times or when you need to oust a really bigwig fart out of office?.

How about the guys we can't even do anything about because their positions were not subject to voting but rather appointments?. How do you hold them to their word when they haven't even given it?

Let's burn this country down and start over again.