So, I am registered to vote in Michigan, where I’ve spent the last two years. Michigan is completely fucked up.
However, due to personal circumstances, I am currently crashing with my parents in California. California is also completely fucked up.
I haven’t lived in California in eight years, but I did grow up here. So while I am not super familiar with the current candidates and issues, I have a better general idea of what is happening than I do in Michigan, where the reverse is true, because I was only there to go to grad school and don’t have any permanent ties or roots in the state. But I know more about what’s happening at the moment there than I do in California.
Where, Dopers, should I vote? I need to make a decision pretty quickly because the last day to register to vote in California is October 18 and if I want to vote absentee in Michigan, I need to get on the ball.
For the record, it is unlikely that I will be living in either state in the long term.
ETA: Also, both districts are deeply blue and neither (Democratic) incumbent is likely to lose.
Well if you vote in California you can vote on Prop 19, and the California Governor and Senate races are pretty close, although it does look like both are leaning somewhat toward the Democrats now.
Don’t know anything about Michigan, but California definitely has some very divisive races going on.
The third option is don’t vote. Except in Florida in 2000, your single vote is statistically meaningless.
If you’re one of those people who don’t understand math, though, and insist that every vote is important, then what state is most important to you? It sounds like you were only a student in Michigan, but have real roots in California. I’ve always voted in Michigan, even when living in Germany, Texas, Ontario, and now Mexico, because that’s where my roots are, where I pay taxes, and where I own my home.
And yes, I do vote (generally at least twice per year), despite understanding the math.
Part of why I don’t vote. And get a rash-o-shit from people about it but it is so hard to care – especially after witnessing last year’s overturn of the Gay Marriage thing by the religious right.
If I see that Money CAN buy an election, why should I bother?
When you say that your vote is meaningless, how can you be so sure that “Florida 2000” won’t happen again?
To the OP: I don’t know anything about US voting, but when I was spending the majority of the year at University, I still voted in my distant hometown, because I felt that was more likely to affect me (if a vote affects anything at all). Also, AmunRa gives some good reasons for voting in California (unless similar issues are also being voted on in Michigan).
I assume Dingell is your congressman (you’re in AA, right?)? He needs your vote. Recent polls have Steele up by 4%.
ETA: Well, I guess that’s assuming you’re a Democrat.
Well, even in Florida 2000, a single person’s vote was slightly more statistically important, but the outcome was still not governed by a single vote, and so even in the case of a repeat close campaign, it’s statistically very highly improbable (some people would say “statistically impossible”) that a single vote will affect the outcome.
Of course, but far more people don’t vote than do. If everyone who doesn’t vote DID vote, then not only would they affect the outcome, they’d single handedly control the outcome of every election.
The point is that maybe Kyla’s vote won’t matter, but Kyla + 20,000 people like Kyla COULD effect the outcome.
I am a liberal independent. I tend to vote for Democrats because there usually aren’t any better options, but I don’t want to call myself a Democrat because the party as a whole pisses me off by being so milquetoast all the time.
Anyway, Dingell is my Congressman in Michigan. If I registered in California, my Congresswoman would be Lynn Woolsey (D). This is probably one of the most liberal districts in the country. (It covers a hunk of the North Bay, including all of Marin County and the southern part of Sonoma County.) There’s no way she’s going to lose.
rayman5321, I used to live in Chicago, and I was diligent in only voting once! My congressman was Rahm Emanuel, btw. I voted for him because I was mildly afraid of what would happen if I didn’t.
You could say that to everyone, so why not just let the corporations vote, seeing as how they’re now legally permitted to buy our elections anyway? What’s the point of individuals voting really?
My advice is to vote in the elections in which you are most informed. Or get informed in the election in which you choose to vote. Just don’t vote for the expected outcome because you like the color of the candidate’s party*. That, IMHO, is truly meaningless.
*Not suggesting that you would, but I passed a campaign sign last night that read simply, “Vote Republican.” Yeah, voter, don’t even concern yourself with the actual candidate. I want to post a sign next to it that reads, “I am not a crook.”
Free speech trumps stupid people any day of the week. If stupid people want to be influenced by the ability of corporations (and PAC’s) to spend advertising dollars (not “buy elections”), then it’s the stupid peoples’ fault; that’s not a “bought election.”
I admit, though, that I’m having trouble understanding how the statistical insignificance of a single voters’ vote would lead to allowing a corporation to vote.
This is good advice, and if everyone did this, there would be no stupid people around and the perception that elections could be bought would disappear, regardless of how much money were spent.
Anyway, it turns out Dingell probably isn’t really down by four points. That was a bum poll. Chances are, he’s pretty safe. 538 gives him only a 1% chance of losing to Steele.
Honestly, your vote could probably make the most difference in Cali. The MI’s gov race isn’t even a race anymore.
