Me, I’ve voted in every presidential election I’ve been eligible to vote in. I’ll confess that it wasn’t until my late twenties that I started to realize that voting in congressional elections is important, too. I think a lot of people are like that: they think that the only election really worth getting worked up over is the presidential one. It sure is the most exciting one, usually.
But those of you who didn’t vote in the presidential election in 2000: why didn’t you? Was it that the candidates were too boring? That you didn’t feel like it made a difference? That you were uninterested in the process? Or were you just too young, or that you hadn’t acquired your American citizenship yet?
If you didn’t vote in 2000 but are planning to vote this year, I’d like to know why, and for whom (if you have any idea which way you’re leaning yet.) Don’t worry—if you never bothered to vote before, I’m not going to get on your case about it. I can’t guarantee that others won’t, but I sure won’t.
Yes, I am definitely voting this election. I was too young last election, but, if people my age don’t participate, or, of any age group, it defeats the point of elections.
Up until 2000, I had voted in every election since I have been old enough to vote. In 2000, I had just moved, didn’t get the address changed quickly enough and therefore would have had to drive 2 hours to vote - and by the time work was over that day my state had already been decided.
I missed last election partly because I was busy in school, partly because I thought the polling place closed later than it did (I did show up, just too late), and partly because I wasn’t excited about the candidates.
This year, you can bet I’ll vote, even if I have to camp out like a Star Wars fan (minus the costume, probably). I’ll be going to the Dem primary on Tuesday, too.
i didnt vote in 2000, largely because i was apathetic to politics and figured my vote was meaningless. I still think my vote is essentially meaningless (out of the 110 million or so) but i am going to vote democratic in 04 because i strongly dislike Bush’s economic policies of running 500 billion deficits and because i like the democratic appeals to the poor & working poor. im more political than i was in 2000 too, in 2000 i was about 19 or 20.
I have felt personally shamed for the last four years because I forgot to vote in 2000 (I had to do it by absentee, and I just plain forgot). I’ve made all the Congressional elections since then, and I will definitely vote this year. I don’t really subscribe to the view that you should stay home if there’s not a “real choice” between the candidates. First of all, the increased perception of voter apathy is what encourages parties and candidates to pay attention only to the same old people and issues, the ones that appeal to reliable voters. Second, even if the choice is only Rep/Dem, usually one of the candidates has ideas I really don’t like. It’s worth it to me to vote against that person, even if the other person doesn’t drive me wild with excitement.
Never voted before even though I was able to after 96. Thought any yahoo couldn’t screw things up that badly, but GW Bush has shown me the error of my uncivic ways. You can bet I will be at the polls come hell or high water, not that it will matter much, the state I reside in is going to Bush (N.C.) Congrats Mr. Bush you pissed me off bad enough to get my off my lazy appathetic rear and vote
I didn’t vote in 2000 because my absentee ballot got lost in the mail and never arrived. I had intended to.
I probably will this year, assuming no repeated messups, but I have no idea who for, since I can’t think of anyone in the running who doesn’t make me go , :rolleyes: , or :smack:
I didn’t vote in 2000 since I was overseas and couldn’t figure out how to get an absentee ballot without joining the Republican party. It was a little unclear as to how to get that going since I was, at least I thought, technically not a resident of any state. That’s been corrected since, I’m back, and I will enjoy voting for whoever is running against Cheney/Rove/Bush and the Redneck Right.
I didn’t vote in 2000 because the San Francisco Court system was threatening to compel me to fly back from Ireland to sit on a jury if I persisted in declaring myself a resident. Since I knew the candidate I planned to vote for (Nader) didn’t have a chance anyway, I decided just not to bother.
I’ll be voting this year and voting Democrat - whoever the candidate is - which, in hindsight, is what I should have done in 2000 anyway.
I wasn’t eligible to vote in 2000, or else I definitely would have. I was able to talk some people into voting against Pickering, but obviously not enough.
The first time I voted was in a local election earlier this year. I would have sooner, but kept missing the deadlines to vote in my county because the newspaper didn’t bother to print the dates until they had already passed.
This year I am definitely voting. I don’t know for sure for who yet, but it sure as hell won’t be Bush. I like some of Dean’s ideas, but he seems intent on shoving his foot into his mouth at every available opportunity. Kerry seems okay, and I’d love to see Clark get some more support. If McCain were to run, I’d definitely consider him. Just too early to tell yet.
I get so annoyed with my age group because so many run to the polls in great herds with no knowledge of any of the candidates. Half the kids eligible to vote in my history class back in 2000 voted for Bush (and Pickering for the local position) because the history teacher kept telling them Gore was the antichrist and that there were no third-party candidates. Freaking sheep.
Your age group had the same problem when I was still in it, back in 1988. Bush I was elected during my sophomore year of college, and despite how happy my peers were, I couldn’t get a single one of them to give me a coherent explanation as to why this was a good thing.
I have to say, though, that it’s encouraging to the anti-Bush vote that even though your teacher told your class that Gore was the antichrist, half of them still preferred him to Bush. Me, I’d probably vote Antichrist before I voted Bush, except for the fact that Bush is already the antichrist.
I share your feelings about Pickering, too. Abundantly.
I didn’t vote in 2000 because I had recently declared myself a resident of the UK. Technically I could have voted but I didn’t want to risk the slight chance I would be allowed to stay in the UK after December 31 (real, real long story there).
I’d voted in every previous presidential election I was eligible for, even in 1996 when I was also living in the UK, when I got a cool absentee punch-card ballot from the state of Indiana. I’ll certainly vote this year too.
, :rolleyes: , or :smack: