# Fuck it...I'm not voting... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 28, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664 "2004-10-28T13:56:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/81 "2004-10-29T03:02:44Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Uhhhhhh…how would that happen, again? Explain how someone can get 51% of the popular vote and finish behind _two_ other candidates. I don’t think it could but this piqued my curiosity and I took a quick trip to wikipedia and and did some math to discover that with 100% voter turnout, the President of the United States could be put in office by winning half the population of eleven states at ~79,850,000 people or 27% of the population. When less than half the population turns out to vote, that falls to an even lower ~39,925,000 or 14% and when you factor out the people that cannot or do not vote due to age, criminal record, or national identity, it falls to an even lower number and percentage although, obviously, that number’s not known. I don’t like the electoral college. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/82 "2004-10-29T03:06:53Z")
Yeah, but **continuity** suggested that Perot would get _no_ electoral votes with more than half of the vote. That’s mathematically impossible. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/83 "2004-10-29T03:17:04Z")
> [@Alas!\_Earwax!](#): > > I’ll admit I don’t know a lot about Badnarik personally, but I really like the Libertarian platform. If he’s their spokesperson, so be it. I’d like to see the party get more respect/interest. Yeah. Who needs National Parks, anyway? I say I should be able to build Walmarts and logging operations anywhere I damn feel like it! ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/84 "2004-10-29T03:23:54Z")
> [@JillGat](#): > > Yeah. Who needs National Parks, anyway? I say I should be able to build Walmarts and logging operations anywhere I damn feel like it! I guess that makes Bush a Libertarian! If Florida goes Bush, I’m going to get a t-shirt made that says “I have Alzheimer’s and I VOTE!” ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/85 "2004-10-29T03:25:29Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Yeah, but continuity suggested that Perot would get no electoral votes with more than half of the vote. That’s mathematically impossible. Yeah, I know. Your post just made me curious though and when I discovered the results of my little experiment, I just had to share. It’s astonishing that only 14% of the population could put the President in office. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/86 "2004-10-29T03:26:52Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > I am tired of this election. I’m ready for it to be over, one way or the other. And I’ll have some good liquor on hand Tuesday so I don’t freak out too badly if Bush wins. What are you going to do to deal with waking up the next day? ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/87 "2004-10-29T03:36:50Z")
I’m baffled. Truly truly baffled. > [@](#): > > Well really my goal is not to “punish” anyone. It’s to put the person in charge who is best suited to the job. Do you think Bush has done a good job? Do you think he is best suited for the job? If not, then vote for a new guy. Please! You may have reservations about Kerry but at this point they are only speculative. He hasn’t had the chance to perform as CiC. Bush, on the other hand, has had the opportunity to the show the world what he can do. And the world is vastly unimpressed. People, please do not waive your right to vote. Just think about all those people who have died to attain suffrage in this country! Even if you live in a state that wouldn’t swing if a tornado blew on it, you should still vote. No one knows what kind of shadiness will go down on Nov 2, and it would be truly unfortunate if Bush “stole” a state simply because people assumed incorrectly. That idea gives me shivers, quite frankly. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/88 "2004-10-29T03:49:25Z")
If someone really doesn’t have a strong preference, I don’t fault her or him for not voting. And that person retains the right to criticize just as much as those who thought that George W. would be more like his father and have lived to regret voting for him in 2000. But I am puzzled why anyone would want a continuation of the way things are. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/89 "2004-10-29T04:42:49Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Yeah, but **continuity** suggested that Perot would get _no_ electoral votes with more than half of the vote. That’s mathematically impossible. I haven’t actually worked the numbers but it sounds like it isn’t possible but I don’t like using absolutes so I answered your response, which was: > [@Duke](#): > > Explain how someone can get 51% of the popular vote and finish behind two other candidates. I think the point **continuity** was trying to make is a simple one and attempting to confuse it this way is unnecessary. Until we do away with the electoral college a third party candidate stands a snowballs chance in hell of making any serious run for the presidency. Forget about the specifics regarding the example he gave. It is absolutely possible for someone to win the election with a very small percentage of the popular vote. That is completely unacceptable IMHO. Once upon a time the electoral college served a function…today, I don’t think so. It’s all a big show. Just like the national conventions, they are a disgrace to the political process. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/90 "2004-10-29T05:10:23Z")
> [@caphis](#): > > We’re not talking about trends here. The assertation was that third party votes are not meaningless. In one scenario, they are. I actually agree. But I can’t for the life of me understand why my sweetie’s voting Libertarian. He doesn’t like Bush much more, if any more, than I do. The only way to get him out, as far as I can tell, is to vote for Kerry. At least he isn’t voting for Bush…unless that’s why he brought me roses tonight, to soften me up prior to telling me! _g_ ---
**Author:** ![Alas\_Earwax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Alas\_Earwax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alas_Earwax)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/91 "2004-10-29T14:25:11Z")
> [@JillGat](#): > > Yeah. Who needs National Parks, anyway? I say I should be able to build Walmarts and logging operations anywhere I damn feel like it! Yeah, I really don’t like that part of their platform. Overall I like the concept of personal responsibility and government being “out of my face”, but I don’t care for their ideas on national lands. I don’t even really see the logic of privatizing land to make it more well cared-for. But, I challenge any voter to tell me they agree with every single point of the platform held by the party they’re voting for. Hey, maybe everyone here at the SDMB should get together and form their own political party! Just one word of advice though - the “Doper Party” probably isn’t very good marketing… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/92 "2004-10-29T14:57:06Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > Look at it this way: the last third party candidate to win a sizable portion of the vote was Ross Perot. He won nineteen percent of the popular vote in 1992, but not one electoral vote. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where Perot could have captured over fifty percent of the popular vote, but came in second in every state. If you come in second, you don’t get any electoral votes. So in that case, the votes of over half the country are meaningless. Wait, what? That’s not mathematically possible. Not in any way. One cannot have an aggregate sum of 50% of the popular vote _without_ carrying at least 50% in at least _one_ state. And you can’t be ‘second’ if you get over 50% of the vote. As for third parties being meaningful- sure, that’s possible, even in winner-take-all. Take the 2000 election- even though Nader didn’t get enough votes to beat out “margin of error” in most polls, he still took enough from Gore to hand the election to Bush. This led to much discussion as to whether the Democrats should lean leftwards in 2004 to recapture that vote. If third parties aren’t being effective, it’s because the tow major parties do a very good job of covering all issues, and most Americans are satisfied with voting for someone who _kinda_ supports their position, as opposed to consantly searching for someone who _exactly_ matches their position. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/93 "2004-10-29T15:02:21Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > In an election this critical to the USA, why would anyone with a half a brain throw their vote away on some third party person who doesn’t stand a chance of winning? I don’t get it and never will----a vote for a third party candidate is effectively a vote for George W. (Weasel) Bush. How can you help the worst president we have ever had get a second term and still sleep well? You make the mistake of assuming these people have half a brain. As to the people old enough to remember the 2000 election and stupid enough to still believe your vote doesn’t count, I have some beach front property in Iowa that I’d like to sell you. ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/94 "2004-10-29T15:05:16Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > I’m also not voting on Tuesday. It’s not that I don’t have an opinion on the candidates. I do, and in some cases they’re pretty strong opinions. I just don’t see that my voting would make much difference. With all the votes that are going to be cast, my vote would be insignificant. For example, in 2000, Bush won the state of Virginia (my state) by a vote of 1,437,490 to 1,217,290, winning by 220,200 votes. If I had voted for Gore in 2000, Bush would have won by 220,199 votes. This does not impress me as a significant difference. This is disheartening to hear. The race in VA this year is going to be much closer than it was in 2000; closer than the polls show, even. I’d really, really like it a lot if you could find five minutes on Tuesday to vote. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/95 "2004-10-29T15:09:43Z")
**Captain amazing** , as a gay man you have a duty to vote, so get your ass to your local precint. I really have no time for this defeatist attitude I see. All it takes to turn the tide is to get 220, 201 people to vote for Kerry. That’s far from impossible, but if people just say, “ah, screw it, we can’t win,” then you only guarantee victory for the homophobes and the bigots through self-fulfilling prophecy. Stop being a pussy and vote. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/96 "2004-10-29T15:13:35Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > You make the mistake of assuming these people have half a brain. > > As to the people old enough to remember the 2000 election and stupid enough to still believe your vote doesn’t count, I have some beach front property in Iowa that I’d like to sell you. Which of these do you own? [http://www.lakehouse.com/search.php?cid=1159&s\_res=AND&PHPSESSID=72c519d31726a3f3e8983e4c340f2aea](http://www.lakehouse.com/search.php?cid=1159&s_res=AND&PHPSESSID=72c519d31726a3f3e8983e4c340f2aea) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/97 "2004-10-29T15:16:35Z")
I often heard that the real power belongs to the non-voter. That’s what I want. More power. None of this piddly-ass “one man, only one vote” stuff for me, so I’ll express myself more effectively by NOT voting. I can feel the power already. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/98 "2004-10-29T15:20:00Z")
You heard wrong. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/99 "2004-10-29T15:35:08Z")
For people who live in swing states…since the Florida example, I think third party candidates actually hurt the process. But in states like mine that are solid in one party or the other. Third party candidates are an opportunuity for us to at least speak out some. If I voted for either major party…it’s like a drop in an ocean. But WE could all go to the polls and endirse a candidate other than the two pitiful choices that we have. If enough people raised hell about the electoral college…a third candidate might actually have a chance in a popular vote. ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664/100 "2004-10-29T15:44:59Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I’d say the crap sandwich is the man who’s been responsible for [1,252](http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/) coalition deaths, and [over 100,000](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=8&u=/nm/20041028/ts_nm/iraq_deaths_dc) innocent Iraqi deaths. I believe that under Cheney’s classification system, that should actually read: more than 101,252 coalition deaths. Remember, Iraq is part of the coalition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-not-voting/271664.md?page=6)