# Does it really matter if you vote if you know you are in the minority? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 30, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302 "2024-09-30T19:42:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/1 "2024-09-30T19:42:44Z")
Continuing the discussion from [I Voted - Nov 2024 Edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-voted-nov-2024-edition/1008280/14): > [@I Voted - Nov 2024 Edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-voted-nov-2024-edition/1008280/14): > > Although the congressional district is a gerrymandered narrow strip that runs from the IN border to the MO border, including Champaign, Urbana, and E. St. Louis, so the Dem incumbent will likely hang on. I have had people comment to me something similar to the above many times. Since they live in “X” area their vote does not count because they are in the minority. I get what they are saying but I can’t buy into the notion your vote does not matter. How should I respond to something like this? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/2 "2024-09-30T19:49:30Z")
Your vote is counted, but sometimes doesn’t matter. I vote anyway because it matters to me. Not much point in discussing it with someone who has the opposite viewpoint. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/3 "2024-09-30T19:54:11Z")
Nobody’s individual vote matters, unless there is literally a one-vote difference in the final tally. But the aggregated votes do matter, so you should make your contribution. Maybe that’s not terribly persuasive but that’s how I think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/4 "2024-09-30T20:04:32Z")
Is the opposition effected if the loss is greater, or lesser? Should a side even matter if a majority of them don’t even vote? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/5 "2024-09-30T20:07:49Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is the opposition effected if the loss is greater, or lesser? I remember Bush beating Gore in 2000. Bush lost the popular vote and barely got a victory and he then proceeded to govern as though he had a massive mandate from the masses. Never blinked. I think these days winning by one vote or a million does not matter. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/6 "2024-09-30T20:09:44Z")
I’d say, it matters even if you know the candidate will lose. Simply, If someone wins 70% of the vote, they can do as they please. But if someone only wins 51% of the vote, they cannot do as they please or they might not get re-elected. That candidate would need to listen to the minority. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/7 "2024-09-30T20:16:55Z")
Lauren Boebert was in a “safe” red district in 2022. She won by less than 600 votes. There were probably a lot more than 600 Dem. voters who didn’t bother since “their vote didn’t matter”. A tiny number of extra Dem. voters here and there and the mess in the House wouldn’t have happened. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to think in terms of “What if everyone like me didn’t votes since it doesn’t matter?” In many places in the US there’s a large “minority” segment of the population that doesn’t vote since they think it doesn’t matter while if they registered and voted it would overturn a lot of apple carts. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/8 "2024-09-30T20:19:52Z")
It matters because you are changing perception. For instance, Texas has been steadily trending in the blue direction for the past 30 years. Democrats have not carried the state of Texas in a presidential election in a very long time. But given that minority Democrats showed up and voted anyway even knowing that they were in the minority, they have now changed the perception of Texas from solidly-red to nearly-battleground-swing-state. And in doing so, they will force both D’s and R’s to pump more money and attention into Texas in upcoming elections. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/9 "2024-09-30T20:28:20Z")
That argument is one I use when talking to friends about litter. If they were the only person on the planet then tossing a Pepsi can out the window is not a big deal. It is a big deal when millions do the same. So, their Pepsi can matters. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/10 "2024-09-30T20:29:14Z")
Your action is singular, but its influence may not be. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/11 "2024-09-30T20:43:10Z")
Sure it matters- maybe not on a single race, but there are always other issues and races. Not to mention, how many threads and posts have we had here about the fact that The Dems won the Popular vote in 2016, but lost the EC, thus the EC is obsolete and we gotta get rid of it? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/12 "2024-09-30T22:35:33Z")
The big city near me is solidly D, something like a 6:1 voter registration advantage. The last election the R candidate did well & got almost 25% of the vote. Think about that, he did well & _still_ needed to more than _double_ his vote count to win. Anyone who wants to run as an R has to know they’re a sacrificial lamb who’s going to lose. Politicians ~~are losers~~ don’t like to lose. If I was an R & wanted to run for office, I wouldn’t chose that one to run for; why put all of that effort in to get trounced? If you’re an R would you bother voting for someone who you _know_ is going to lose? If they thought they could get a victory, I’d bet there would be better R candidates running & we’d probably all be better off if the winner governed to be responsible to the people instead of knowing virtually how bad they screw up they’ll win again. Change the location & switch the parties & you have the same for a D in, say, Iowa. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/13 "2024-09-30T22:52:15Z")
My lovely wife likes to point out that as a young thing she didn’t vote in an important local race and the bad candidate unexpectedly won by 7 votes. Your vote might actually matter in close races. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/14 "2024-09-30T23:11:29Z")
Not only local races, but other issues, propositions, and measures may be on the ballot affecting everything from land use and zoning to school boards and local spending/bond/tax initiatives. In those it’s much more difficult to tell if you are in the minority or majority, so your vote more likely counts. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/15 "2024-09-30T23:46:46Z")
Agree with @Velocity’s point. No, your individual vote may not change the results at your individual level, not for a specific election, or perhaps not even for your lifetime, but over the years, the time and money spent to secure “solid” areas in the face of changing opinions (see how by the time Republicans got rid of Roe it was already accepted by a large number of _Republicans_, or even more clearly the change in attitudes towards same sex marriage) means less money spent in true battlegrounds. And, if our Republic survives (sadly not a given) in enough time I do think we’ll be able to reclaim the center, especially once Trump passes on and people start to wonder “Why was this guy so important, anyway?” Aside, at times I do wish for an afterlife, where either A) Trump gets judged by a jury he _cannot_ buy, baffle with BS, or intimidate or B) he floats around unable to affect anything but sees himself become nothing more than a bad example or a punchline like Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/16 "2024-09-30T23:49:45Z")
> [@susan](#): > > My lovely wife likes to point out that as a young thing she didn’t vote in an important local race and the bad candidate unexpectedly won by 7 votes. Your vote might actually matter in close races. Every Democrat in Florida who didn’t vote in 2000 must have kicked themselves when they saw Bush win by less than a college dorm’s worth of voters as the final margin. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/17 "2024-10-01T00:37:49Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Every Democrat in Florida who didn’t vote in 2000 must have kicked themselves… I think you mean every person who voted for Ralph Nader. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/18 "2024-10-01T01:35:38Z")
I vote even when I know it won’t make any difference. It’s the right we enjoy in a democratic society in which I strongly believe. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/19 "2024-10-01T15:59:30Z")
Lots of local elections can swing by a margin of votes. Better to make things purple and not red. Everyone should vote. My parents didn’t vote and complained about this country constantly and as a result I never thought it was really important to vote until I was like, 25. I wish I had voted every year in my life but I will never miss an election again. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302/20 "2024-10-01T16:18:59Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > _I vote even when I know it won’t make any difference. It’s the right we enjoy in a democratic society in which I strongly believe._ This. We live in a very red county. The best my wife and I can do is cancel-out the votes of the two MAGAts who voted before or after us. And we think it’s important to send a message to career politicians who take their re-election for granted that there ARE people who don’t like them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-really-matter-if-you-vote-if-you-know-you-are-in-the-minority/1008302.md?page=2)