# Do you already know who you're going to vote for for POTUS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 30, 2016, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272 "2016-09-30T07:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/21 "2016-10-01T01:21:23Z")
I think I’ve voted for maybe two Republicans in my life (I voted for a dead person instead of a Republican once), and I’m sure as hell not going to vote for Trump any Republicans running for Congress or statewide office this year. I haven’t bothered to research the local candidates and issues yet. I suppose Clinton might have some kind of psychotic break or something, in which case I suppose I’d vote for Vermin Supreme. But, yeah, my vote for the Dem was never really in doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/22 "2016-10-01T01:29:08Z")
If Clinton drops to less than a +10 lead in CA, then I will vote for her; otherwise Johnson. It is highly improbable that this will happen, but I can’t say it’s impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/23 "2016-10-01T01:30:08Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I’m only unsure of one thing: Should I just fill in the “Straight Democratic ticket” oval, or should I give myself the pleasure of seeing the oval next to Hillary Clinton’s name blackened in (as well as every other Democrat on the ballot)? It’s so much more satisfying to go down the ballot, consider each name carefully (even though you’ve already decided how you’re voting) and fill in the little ovals 1-by-1. Be careful if they give you a[butterfly ballot](http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/ten-years-later-infamous-2000-election-ballot-reco/nLmZd/), though. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/24 "2016-10-01T01:42:44Z")
I’m unaffiliated, but that’s because the Democratic Party isn’t nearly liberal enough for me. Still, I’ve voted for a few moderate Republicans through the years. Back before they became Teh Party of teh Crazy. This year, however… Trump: Birther, climate change denier, anti-vaxxer. Out of the gate, these views disqualified him for me. Didn’t need to know one single thing more. Johnson: Climate change denier, isolationist, “What’s Aleppo?” Fuck me, no way. Stein: I actually agree with a lot of her positions, but she’d be a horror show on foreign policy and would get creamed dealing with Congress. Also, hasn’t got a prayer of winning and I won’t waste my vote. 100% sure for whom I will vote and itching to get my ballot. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/25 "2016-10-01T04:36:41Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I haven’t decided my vote on some of the ballot propositions in California yet. . . . What??? You mean you haven’t yet thoroughly studied, analyzed, weighed, considered and decided upon all 17 state propositions, as meticulously laid out, pro and con, in the 220-page, fine-print tome which arrived in our mailboxes yesterday, by which we are to decide upon such issues as: [ul] [li]“Death Penalty. Initiative Statue”[/li][li]“Adult Films. Condoms. Health Requirements. Initiative Statute.”[/li][li]“State Prescription Drug Purchases. Pricing Standards. Initiative Statute.”[/li][li]“Marijuana Legalization. Initiative Statute.”[/li][li]“Death Penalty. [again]. Procedures. Initiative Statute.”[/li][li]“Firearms. Ammunition Sales. Initiative Statute.”[/li][li]“English Proficiency. Multilingual Education. Initiative Statute.”[/li][/ul]. . . and, not the least important. . .[ul] [li]“Carryout Bags. Charges. Initiative Statute”?[/li][/ul]President is the easy part. These propositions are a breathless soap opera by plebiscite. I hope you don’t put it off until you get in the voting booth. I might be waiting after you in line. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/26 "2016-10-01T05:34:28Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I hope you don’t put it off until you get in the voting booth. I might be waiting after you in line. Yet another reason to vote absentee. I can take all the time I want looking up everything on [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/), and no one has to wait for me or me for them. The downside is that I can’t find a pencil in the house, and so I can’t vote yet on the ballot I got today. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/27 "2016-10-01T07:01:57Z")
The candidates are, by and large, fairly old, and accidents (and in this political climate, attacks) can happen to people of any age. So my candidate may become unavailable before the election, and I’d have to vote for their alternate. I suppose that knocks me out of the 100% box, but as others have said, one of the candidates this time around is simply unacceptable as a member of society, much less President, so I know who I’m voting against. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/28 "2016-10-01T07:25:28Z")
I know who I’m voting for. And it’s a vote for her, not a vote against her opponent. I’d vote for Hillary over many sane Republican candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/29 "2016-10-01T09:34:37Z")
Given that any other vote would be enabling the completely unhinged, corrupt, fundamentally dishonest narcissist who has, on an almost daily basis, proven why he shouldn’t be given power over a shitty Alabama daycare, let alone made leader of the free world, yeah. You’ll have to excuse me if I round 99.99999999% up. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/30 "2016-10-01T15:51:41Z")
The only certainty is that nothing could make me vote for Trump. He is a damaged, racist, misogynistic, lying charlatan, who is the most intellectually lazy candidate I can imagine. His policies, as much as they can be described as policies, are incoherent messes, but to the extent I can detect specifics, I think his economic policies would place in in deep recession. He would likewise limit civil liberties, if he’s able, and I can think of few things more frightening than Trump with the nuclear codes. It is astonishing to me that anyone who is not, say, a racist, could look at Trump and think, “This is my guy.” If PA is close at all, I’ll vote for Hillary, and may regardless. The best realistic outcome now is that she wins. But if she’s expected to win easily, I may do a protest vote in the hope that the GOP might finally decide to be a party of values that resemble something I might find appealing. Very depressing election. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/31 "2016-10-01T16:26:17Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > President, yes. I’m voting Hillary no matter what. I have requested my ballot from the City of Chicago and I still have some research to do on local offices and judges. But, Clinton, Duckworth, and Quigley are set in stone. Hilly, for sure. In '92 she was the better choice over Billy. Tammy, of course. Kirk got bunches of dumber after his stroke. I regret that Tammy can’t also run in the House as I have voted for her several times, but I absolutely have to vote for Raja Krishnamoorthi because I have neighbors who will vote for anyone with an Anglo name. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/32 "2016-10-01T17:08:22Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > I’ve known who I’d be voting for in this election ever since Obama pulled ahead in the primary in 2008. > > I never imagined who I’d be voting against. Pretty much describes me. It is possible that I could vote for a Republican for president again, but not until they get their candidates much closer to sanity. > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Never liked Hillary much. A little tired of Democrats in the White House. Some GOP guys that I thought would be interesting Presidents. > > But Trump \*cannot \*be President. There are no other issues. Thanks for putting country over party. Too many people are not doing that I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/33 "2016-10-01T17:10:17Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I know who I’m voting for. And it’s a vote for her, not a vote against her opponent. I’d vote for Hillary over many sane Republican candidates. Yes, this. I’ve been waiting to cast this vote since she became First Lady. Nothing she’s done has lessened my admiration. On the contrary, I’m more for her now than ever. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/34 "2016-10-01T17:13:42Z")
I decided about 16 years ago what my vote would always be. This year’s Republican candidates all made that decision even easier. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/35 "2016-10-01T18:00:13Z")
My vote (in the Presidential) is for whoever has the best chance of stopping Trump. The amazing thing that would have to happen is for another candidate to suddenly have a better shot than Clinton to do that. Not likely but I can’t say I am voting for her absolutely 100%. The probability could dip as low as 99.9999% chance that I’m voting Clinton. Down ballot, 100% chance I vote straight Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/36 "2016-10-01T19:11:05Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Mostly sure. for all my bullshit about not voting third party, I may vote third party. Not Stein, but I may vote for Zoltan Istvan. This is the first election with a transhumanist candidate and I do not live in a swing state. If I lived in a swing state then obviously it’d be Clinton. > > My only concern is that Trump is such a disgrace that he needs to lose by as big a margin as possible. It isn’t enough that Trump loses, he has to lose enough that the GOP realizes it is a mistake to let the most stupid and crazy 5% of the electorate pick their candidates. Who is Zoltan Istvan? I live in one of the most heavily Democratic states around, so it doesn’t matter, but I’m definitely not voting for Clinton or Trump. Unlike you however, I actually do want this election to be extremely close. I think both major party candidates would be terrible, and I’m hoping the country ends up divided enough that neither of them, if elected, can accomplish much for the next four years. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/37 "2016-10-01T20:05:23Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > Who is Zoltan Istvan? He wants use science to overcome death within 20 years. [Cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoltan_Istvan). Kind of a bold campaign promise, to say the least. The frightening thing is, I would consider voting for him before I would vote for Trump. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/38 "2016-10-01T20:27:50Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > I am voting for the same person I voted for in 2012: Gary Johnson. This. Of course I have to add the caveat that if there in a chance of trump winning my state I’ll vote for whoever it takes to prevent that. Seeing as how I’ll be registered in California for this election if trump has a chance of winning the state it may just be Johnson that is our savior. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/39 "2016-10-01T20:43:40Z")
I’m not going to be voting this year. The last time I voted for U.S. election was in 2000, which was also the last time I lived in the country. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272/40 "2016-10-01T21:03:51Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > but I absolutely have to vote for Raja Krishnamoorthi because I have neighbors who will vote for anyone with an Anglo name. Um, how is that an argument in favour of voting for Raja Krishnamoorthi? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-already-know-who-youre-going-to-vote-for-for-potus/767272.md?page=3)