How could gerrymandered districts be un-gerrymandered?

Politics & Elections
161

You also never know if you will win in a lottery. But you know what the probability is. And it is damn close to zero. The probability of one vote deciding a federal election is not even “close to zero”. It is exactly zero. Because we’re not in 1910 and no federal election even CAN be decided by one vote. As you pointed out yourself, after the dozen or so recounts it will just go to a revote.

You’re not talking about your individual vote then, are you?

You are you. You are not “the rest of my demographic”. You don’t make decisions for the “rest of your demographic”. They don’t ask you how they should vote. You control exactly one vote. And that one vote doesn’t matter.

Of course, if you control more than one vote, all power to you. At a few dozen votes or so, the probability of those changing the result of a federal election becomes non-zero (though still very small).

162

All votes are votes. All those “just one vote” votes add up to the whole body of votes, like peas in a pot.

163

To be a vote that affects that outcome means that if you were the ONLY person who didn’t vote the outcome would be different.

If you think democracy is useless unless you personally get to pick the winner of an election, you’re not getting democracy.

164

Good.

Luckily, there are lots of other people who think like you and don’t vote. This affects the outcome of elections, making the votes of those of us who do even more valuable.

I wonder - when someone passes a hat around to collect some money for someone in need or whatever, do you also give nothing since your few bucks can’t accomplish anything for anyone?

165

ROTFLMAO. The Congressman in my district is Elijah Cummings. Starting with the most recent election and going back, that’s 75%, 78%, 98%, 73%, 74%, and 87%. Yes, my vote so so very valuable.

166

You understand the principle of a self-fulfilling prophecy, right?

But sure, if you can see the writing on the wall, showing up to vote isn’t very useful. But that’s just because you’re in the minority. Your vote isn’t supposed to mean anything when you lose an election, even if you don’t bother to try because you know you’ll lose.

167

You understand the concept of “My vote is one vote. Not two. Not a dozen. One”?

You may get warm fuzzies from feeling like a part of some kind of voting bloc. I don’t. If voting gives you warm fuzzies then it makes sense to vote - people get pleasure/satisfaction in weirder ways. Voting, knowing that my one vote (see the above paragraph) has no chance of making any difference whatsoever, does not pleasure or satisfy me in any way. And that is true whether my congressman gets elected with 98% of the vote or 50.5%. Because if I do go vote or don’t go vote, he will still be elected with that same 98% or 50.5%. Do you understand THAT concept?

168

You’re lucky. He’s a great congressman.

169

In your opinion.

170

And my few cents I put in the Salvation Army pot in front of the grocery store is just a few cents.

Like I said above - good. Don’t vote. Makes me even warmer and fuzzier.

171

Agree. He stands up to that pathetic asshole Issa.

172

Of course. They mean nothing. The only rational reason to give is for warm/fuzzies. That’s why people give.

173

It’s also a good thing to do because giving is likely to inspire others to give. By the same token, voting publicly (and wearing “I voted” stickers and such) is likely to inspire others to vote. So if one thinks that giving to charity and voting are good things for large numbers of people to do, it makes sense to do them because it’s very possible it will inspire others to give/vote that might not have otherwise.

174

I understand wearing “I voted” stickers (although I have never seen anyone wear one). But what exactly is “voting publicly”?

175

I disagree. Maybe you can only throw a quarter in. But when you add it to all the other quarters thrown it, a roomful of people get fed.

176

And if you don’t add it to all of the other quarters thrown in, a roomful of people get fed.

177

Really? That money doesn’t add up to millions of dollars?

178

We’re now fully in Olsson territory:

Yes, sometimes you can freeload and get what you want without contributing anything, Terr. All you lose is your warm and fuzzy feeling and immunity from our scorn. If that’s okay with you, fine. We won’t bother you while you sit in the corner if you don’t bother us.

179

Your money doesn’t. It adds up to, as you wrote, “a few cents”.

180

Of course it does. My money is part of the money in the pot that adds to millions. Math.