Apparently, I did miss some of your posts but not all of them. I will stand behind my “Don’t vote, can’t bitch” attitude. IMO, if you don’t speak up when you don’t like what is going on, you really can’t complain when the stuff you don’t like continues. It’s like wishing you had some money instead of trying to get a job or train for a job.
Voting is one of our most basic rights and it is *the *most basic way we can say what we want in government too. Yes, we can contact our reps or run for office ourselves but if we still don’t get action, we can vote. Our options aren’t as good as those countries (and Nevada) where they can vote for “None of the Above” but we still can put in a write-in vote for Mickey Mouse or whomever to show our dissatisfaction with the system.
If you don’t care, then don’t vote. But then don’t bitch about the system either. If you do care, voting is our most basic step towards working for change. If you don’t vote, but still work for change, that’s better than nothing. But, if you are working for change, do everything you can to get that change. Voting is a much more valuable, and effective (IMO) way to state what you like than just staying away from the polls.
Goddamnit stop saying this kind of crap. It’s crazy. Voting isn’t more basic (and especially efficacious) than rioting, petitioning, campaigning, writing poetry, singing, marching, bake sales, or especially complaining. I can speak up any ol’ way I want, provided I have something to say.
You would really make me crawl out of my basement so I can write Mickey Mouse on a piece of paper? What did I ever do to you? Abstaining from voting displays my dissatisfaction just as well. Society cares about my opinions? Then listen to me complain.
If the primaries for my particular party are boring or already pretty much decided, I will change my registration and vote in the primary of the opposing party, if that race is more pivotal or interesting. Then I change registration back to my established party for the general election.
I live in a vote by mail state where the ballot comes right to my hands and I don’t have to do much more that fill in a few dots and mail the thing. If I don’t want to buy a stamp I can drop it off. And still some elections have low voter turn out. It boggles the mind that people get their ballot and ignore it.
I think it was Heinlein who said, ‘sure the game is rigged, but if you don’t play, you can’t win’.
I read the options carefully, as instructed, but don’t understand them. I am not eligible, so how can I plan to register - I am not allowed to?
If I could vote I most likely would not, except perhaps in very small local elections, as the chances of one vote making a difference are so small it is not worth (for me - not criticizing anyone else) the trip to the polls.
As I stated in my post, it was IMO. Walmarticus and others are entitled to their opinions too. To me, voting is basic. To him, rioting appears to be a better action. Who am I to say he’s wrong? It appears to have some effect in France and Kenya.
Walmarticus can even call my posted opinions “crap” but happily I am free to consider his opinions in the same light if I so choose. Great, isn’t it?
Yes, that is true. See here for the details of the token fine at the Commonwealth level. There are similar types of penalty for state and local government elections too. I’ve never not voted, so I don’t know how vigorous the process of chasing up and fining non-voters is. Not particularly vigorous would be my guess.
I vote in every election (I’ve missed a few in the 30+ years I’ve been eligible, but not too many), but I don’t necessarily vote on everything the ballot contains.
I tend to research elections pretty well. I read the full text of ballot initiatives and analyze the arguments for/against in the voter pamphlet. I make a point of meeting anyone running for local offices (and the state representatives/senators from our district) and talking with them about issues. I consider myself an informed voter.
When I do come across something I haven’t researched (e.g., “oh, man, I forgot we were electing a new Sheriff this year!”), I skip it on the ballot. In my opinion, randomly ticking a checkbox for something I haven’t researched is irresponsible, so I don’t do it.