# "If you don't vote, you can't complain." What if... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696 "2013-10-30T23:09:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/1 "2013-10-30T23:09:53Z")
Most of us have heard the saying, “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about who gets elected.” But are you allowed to complain about who gets elected if you _did_ vote for them, and later regretted it? (This is only hypothetical, for me at least - I have never actually been in this situation. Not yet anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/2 "2013-10-30T23:19:21Z")
Of course not. You’re part of the problem, as opposed to the people who don’t vote who simply fail to be part of the solution (or of the problem, I guess). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/3 "2013-10-30T23:34:46Z")
Of course you can. “Can you believe it? That rat-bastard sold me a bill of goods, I’m going to vote the bum out next time.” ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/4 "2013-10-31T01:23:16Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Of course you can. “Can you believe it? That rat-bastard sold me a bill of goods, I’m going to vote the bum out next time.” This. I don’t care who you vote for, you can complain. If you didn’t vote, shut the hell up. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/5 "2013-10-31T02:46:36Z")
Notice how the people saying “Don’t vote? Don’t complain.” are always voters. No non-voter ever says that. It’s as if they find it completely unnecessary to show any logical connection between the two things. They just expect everyone else to accept it as true, for Lord knows what reason. My favorite retort: “I fought a war for a year. You pull a lever every other year. Who gets to complain, again?” ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/6 "2013-10-31T02:50:30Z")
> [@Moldy Bread](#): > > This. I don’t care who you vote for, you can complain. If you didn’t vote, shut the hell up. I don’t care what branch you served in, you can complain. If you didn’t serve, shut the hell up. I don’t care what campaign you volunteered for, you can complain. If you didn’t volunteer, shut the hell up. I don’t care what jury you served on, you can complain. If you didn’t serve, shut the hell up. Hey, this is fun! What’s the next civil right we’re going to force people to exercise before they can participate in democracy? Can we do gun ownership next? Ooo, oo, what about having a speedy trial?! I can’t wait to find out what’s next! ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/7 "2013-10-31T05:36:00Z")
I do not care about who does not vote, they can yell all they want. It is the stupid people who listen to them that do vote who worry me the most. Ignorance can be cured, stupidity can’t. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/8 "2013-10-31T09:27:54Z")
> [@Moldy Bread](#): > > This. I don’t care who you vote for, you can complain. If you didn’t vote, shut the hell up. ie, “Don’t blame me, I voted for Kodos”. As far as I’m concerned if you take part in the system that creates the problem you are culpable, if you abstain you aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/9 "2013-10-31T13:50:55Z")
What if I didn’t vote, but the candidate I was going to vote for (if I had made it to the polls) lost? I can still complain, right? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/10 "2013-10-31T14:21:06Z")
> [@Moldy Bread](#): > > I don’t care who you vote for, you can complain. If you didn’t vote, shut the hell up. So going in on election day and picking names at random entitles me to complain? I don’t think so. Uninformed voting is worse than not voting at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mclovin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@Mclovin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mclovin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/11 "2013-10-31T14:49:20Z")
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIraCchPDhk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIraCchPDhk) ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/12 "2013-10-31T15:13:22Z")
There is no one decent running and you think I can’t complain because I refuse to participate in the stupid? Come shut me up. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/13 "2013-10-31T16:27:23Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > There is no one decent running and you think I can’t complain because I refuse to participate in the stupid? Come shut me up. Yyyyup. I’m not choosing between a turd sandwich and a douche just because you say I have to. Am I entitled to bitch about it? Yyyyup. Doesn’t mean I do, because I usually stay out of politics as a rule. But I could. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/14 "2013-10-31T17:40:18Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > There is no one decent running and you think I can’t complain because I refuse to participate in the stupid? Come shut me up. Ever hear of the write-in vote? Putting in Mickey Mouse will at least send a message that you took the time to vote, but none of the candidates were good enough. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/15 "2013-10-31T18:27:18Z")
Those who vote have had their say and look what a mess they’ve made of things. Either they voted for the guy who screwed things up - in which case they are the problem - or they voted for the other guy so their complaints are just sour grapes. Only those who don’t vote should be allowed to complain. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/16 "2013-10-31T18:36:37Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > Ever hear of the write-in vote? Putting in Mickey Mouse will at least send a message that you took the time to vote, but none of the candidates were good enough. Spending 3-5 unpaid hours to vote for a cartoon character who couldn’t take office even if he won a majority of votes sounds like a waste of a perfectly good work day. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/17 "2013-10-31T18:41:00Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > Ever hear of the write-in vote? Putting in Mickey Mouse will at least send a message that you took the time to vote, but none of the candidates were good enough. Not voting sends the same message. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/18 "2013-10-31T18:48:57Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Not voting sends the same message. Disagree: One reason is that historically a large part of the eligible voters do not ever vote. The politicians depend on this in many different ways. It is expected & does not meant to them IMO that those people think all candidates are bad. When a large percent of the usual voters start doing a write in or some such action, then it makes a difference to them IMO. YVMV ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/19 "2013-10-31T18:51:38Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Disagree: > > One reason is that historically a large part of the eligible voters do not ever vote. The politicians depend on this in many different ways. It is expected & does not meant to them IMO that those people think all candidates are bad. The fact that the message is sent does not mean it has to be received. IMO not voting sends a message of “I don’t care to participate in your rigged system.” But that doesn’t mean that the message is received. And that is true of any message. ---
**Author:** ![dataguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eada6e/32.png) [@dataguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dataguy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696/20 "2013-10-31T20:36:08Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > There is no one decent running and you think I can’t complain because I refuse to participate in the stupid? Come shut me up. I feel you. I want a system like the one they have in [India and other](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/None_of_the_above)places. You can vote for None of the Above. If there are enough of those votes, they have to redo the election with new candidates. Maybe the idea will spread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dont-vote-you-cant-complain-what-if/672696.md?page=2)