# Is it wrong for me not to vote, like my father? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 30, 2016, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303 "2016-09-30T19:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/21 "2016-10-01T00:57:47Z")
it is fine not to vote with 2 rules: 1. be consistent. Never vote at all. That way you will drop off the register roles and won’t appear on the voter lists. That will save campaigns time/money trying to contact you. Your voting record will show on the rolls, so people will see you don’t vote, but not showing up is even easier on them. 2. Never complain about the Government and what happens to the country. You didn’t participate and that means you don’t get a voice/opinion. If on the other hand, you want to have a say, participate. Remember that a) voting immediately puts you in the minority that politicians care about. And b) if you actually help out in some way, that puts you in the top 1% of citizens. But it is up to you. Whatever you do, be consistent. It is annoying to look at the voters list and see someone who last voted two years ago. I doubt the person is worth contacting, but I go ahead just in case. 90% of the time I was right that the effort wasn’t worth it. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/22 "2016-10-01T01:01:36Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > it’s not my “civic duty” to be forced into a “Sophie’s Choice” between a kick in the balls and a punch in the face. I’m tired of every election being a situation where I have to choose the lesser of two evils, and I’m _really_ tired of people who seem fine with such a system. And you feel that not voting is a method of changing things? How? Believe me, when campaigns see that a person hasn’t voted, their interest in that person drops to near-zero really fast. Worse, when we have a lot of people who aren’t participating, then the only way to get them to the polls is to cause a massive crisis/problem. We see that in the presidential race, on both sides, but it is true at every level. Not participating is making the problem worse, not better. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/23 "2016-10-01T01:04:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Welcome to the real world…make your voice heard. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a large contradiction in so few words. mmm ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/24 "2016-10-01T01:05:10Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I disagree 100%. So did George Carlin, who said something like, “I don’t vote so I can complain - I say, hey, don’t look at me, I didn’t elect those assholes!” > mmm True, but you make useless noise for the people who do make a difference. It would be more polite to simply say nothing since that is the effect a non-voter has in this country. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/25 "2016-10-01T01:10:05Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a large contradiction in so few words. > mmm OK, then, sit at home with your thumb up your rear and do nothing. That will institute change. Your voice will definitely be heard then, right? And blame everyone else but yourself for President Trump. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/26 "2016-10-01T01:17:48Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Ridiculous. Here’s how much my vote counts. > > I’m a liberal and I live in Texas. If a liberal candidate ever got close enough to winning the Texas electors that my vote could make a difference, every other state would have already been won in a liberal landslide before Texas even started counting votes. So how could my vote possibly have any effect on the outcome? > > Do you know that in most elections, about 15% of all congressional seats have a single unopposed candidate, so one out of seven of you won’t even have a choice for congressman when you look at your ballot. In about 6 elections in a row, I discovered that for congress, I had the same number of names on the ballot as Iraqis had when they voted for Saddam Hussein. You miss one of the major effects of voting. The results of every election is scrutinized carefully by politicians and their staff. Sure, you aren’t going to elect your candidate in Texas, I am not going to elect my candidate in Louisiana. But when the moderate politicians (there are always those around-even if they aren’t elected) see 10 or 20% votes against the incumbent, then no one runs. Get that percentage up to 30 or 40%. You want a choice-show people that there is a chance. You won’t win this election or the next, but if enough people vote for the loser, then things start happening. Even when the incumbent is unopposed, go vote for something or if there is literally nothing else on the ballot, show up. People will notice that people go to the polls and don’t vote for anyone. That sends a message. Not voting sends a message as well-to people who might be more acceptable to you. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/27 "2016-10-01T01:19:11Z")
George Carlin is on your side. [He doesn’t vote either.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIraCchPDhk) (I’ve used the present tense, considering this great wit to be immortal.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/28 "2016-10-01T01:21:26Z")
Yeah you don’t have to vote, but just don’t complain about how the election came out . I can’t stand it when people complain about who the election when they didn’t vote. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/29 "2016-10-01T01:28:04Z")
A modest proposal: anyone who has ever said, “the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math,” shall have his vote stripped away. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/30 "2016-10-01T01:28:14Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > And you feel that not voting is a method of changing things? How? no, “not voting” is a “don’t blame me” for when the pile of shit who got into office does something you don’t like. > [@](#): > > Believe me, when campaigns see that a person hasn’t voted, and how do they do that? > [@](#): > > their interest in that person drops to near-zero really fast. Worse, when we have a lot of people who aren’t participating, then the only way to get them to the polls is to cause a massive crisis/problem. We see that in the presidential race, on both sides, but it is true at every level. Not participating is making the problem worse, not better. no it isn’t. participating in the system makes the problem worse by perpetuating the system. Our _de facto_ two-party system combined with “first past the post” elections means we’re only ever going to be faced with choosing between a turd sandwich and a giant douche. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/31 "2016-10-01T02:09:39Z")
Just like your father, Tubold? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/32 "2016-10-01T02:36:50Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Our _de facto_ two-party system combined with “first past the post” elections means we’re only ever going to be faced with choosing between a turd sandwich and a giant douche. As hilariously poor choices as they are, there do exist third party candidates. If you’re super-concerned about this de facto two-party system, maybe bolster a third. Or just complain on the internet - that’s likely even more constructive. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/33 "2016-10-01T02:47:55Z")
I flatly reject the notion of a “civic duty” to vote. It’s a right that one may freely choose to forgo for any reason, or no reason. I generally choose to vote. You do you. It’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/34 "2016-10-01T03:17:30Z")
> [@astro](#): > > but in the end it’s just shirking. I shirk about a lot of thins. Making my bed, wiping my computer screen, buying light bulbs, acknowledging that I’ve seen children’s birthday photos on FaceBook and that Yes they are cute. It’s not a moral issue. As for input into governance, this country would be in pisspoor shape if the president phoned me and asked me what to do about some foreign affairs or budget issue and then took my advice. I do not pretend to have the expertise to make such judgements, and with several cubic miles of classified documents that I can never see, along with the media-industrial complex, the concept of “an informed electorate” is pretty laughable. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/35 "2016-10-01T04:35:45Z")
Don’t let voting fuck up a perfectly good drinking day. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/36 "2016-10-01T05:23:03Z")
Nothing wrong with not voting. Not voting can be a statement just like voting itself can. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/37 "2016-10-01T05:35:27Z")
If either option was more or less equal, which is frequently the case, I’d say “whatever, it’s up to you.” This is not the situation this time. Any non-Trump vote is good not just for the country, but for the world; and further, as it’s essentially a two-party system it has to be Hillary to really make certain the vote makes an impact. Ideally I am hoping for a humiliating landslide. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/38 "2016-10-01T06:19:41Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I flatly reject the notion of a “civic duty” to vote. It’s a right that one may freely choose to forgo for any reason, or no reason. I generally choose to vote. You do you. It’s all good. And it’s exactly that attitude that allows pocket dictators to take power. And lets others sacrifice their lives for your freedoms. But a general election is for a lot more than the President; in my state there are 56 ballot initiatives in addition to the various other elected offices this year. Not voting is a copout. “Oh, I have no power.” If that were true, nothing would ever get passed, and nothing would ever change until things became irretrievable. The fact is that you do have power, whether you want to believe it or not. And you have a responsibility to the country that makes it possible for you to have the life that you lead. You’re not entitled to that life; you were given it by luck of location. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/39 "2016-10-01T06:37:01Z")
> [@ultimate11](#): > > Ah fuck it. I had something of an notion during the 2015 Illinois election, so I will vote. I may end up pissing off one side, face death threats, have one of family members throw me under the grave and leave me worse off (or not- my momma loves me too much), but I’m American! Why not? > > Best of luck to me. Hey good news! Voting is a completely private event! You get your own little private booth in which to mark your votes and everything. No one can judge you on who you voted for unless you tell them, and tell them truthfully, yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2016, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303/40 "2016-10-01T09:10:10Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I disagree 100%. So did George Carlin, who said something like, “I don’t vote so I can complain - I say, hey, don’t look at me, I didn’t elect those assholes!” This is based on a false premise. Unless the two candidates are exactly the same (and they are never _exactly_ the same), if you don’t vote you bear part of the blame if the worse candidate wins. And even if the least worst candidate wins, you encouraged them not to bother being a better one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-for-me-not-to-vote-like-my-father/767303.md?page=3)