A lot was said to be at stake in the recent US election. A record (for recent years) 67% of Americans turned out to vote. Too much has already been written about polarized politics, news bubbles and affiliation as a source of identity.
I’m more interested in the 33% who didn’t vote. Did they feel it wouldn’t help since their districts are lopsided? Was it too difficult or inconvenient? Do they just not care, or feel that marginalized or disinterested?
Twelve years ago I gave my employees the opportunity to vote during their shift. They’d be “paid” to vote. Nobody took me up on it, with “disinterested” being the reason.
Reasons I’ve heard from acquaintances that don’t vote:
I didn’t vote because I had recently moved and I could only vote if I were to make a long trek to the local tax office. Since I was planning to vote 3rd party anyway, it wasn’t worth it to risk the Covid just for a vote that would make no difference to the outcome.
My daughter is 30. This was her first time voting, and we have Trump to thank. She just couldn’t believe how outrageously stupid the man was, and she just had to do something. She convinced many of her friends to register and vote, she volunteered to make phone calls, etc.
Why should anyone care what they think? They don’t vote.
Georgia enters the chat
Were you aware that there are more elections at stake than just the presidency? There were probably numerous local and state elections for which you could have voted.
I suspect that a lot of them aren’t paying a lot of attention. As far as they can tell its just seems like so much arguing, So by the falacy of the middle both sides are probably equally to blame, They can then justify their laziness as a conscious decision to stay above the fray.
A shitty electoral system minimises the choices offered to voters and maximises the number of voters whose vote can make no possible difference to the outcome of the election. Plus steps are taken, and choices are made, that make voting a total pain in the arse, compared to the expereience of voting in countries with more functional electoral machinery. When you set up the incentives like this you should not be suprised if you get a relatively low turnout.
So fuck 'em, right? As if voting somehow empowers you with humanity. People have fought and died for their right to not vote.
That’s a straw man argument if I’ve ever heard one. Nobody ever fought for anybody’s right to not vote.
And @Drum_God does have a point. No politician is going to pay much attention to someone who neither contributes to their campaign nor votes, unless they do so out of the goodness of their heart (as might be the case for the very young, very old, or disabled).
That’s why I don’t bother calling Senators and Representatives from other states. It’s a waste of time. They’re not going to listen to me. Why is it any different for a nonvoter?
Because caring about your fellow human and knowing what or what doesn’t motivate them is key to making the world better and living in harmony. Think bigger than bullshit USA politics.
This is horseshit. The right TO vote is exactly the same as the right to NOT vote. Just like freedom of religion is just like freedom from religion.
Nobody is talking about compelling people to vote. With that said, it greatly overstates the issue to say that “[p]eople have fought and died for their right to not vote.”
(Nor has anyone else in this thread argued that point. That’s why it’s a straw man argument.)
Over the course of our nation’s history, people have marched and fought and bled to expand the franchise. Nobody has ever fought and died for their right to not vote.
How is the right to vote not implicitly intertwined with the right to not? People fought and died for the constitution which in no way forces anyone to vote. Not voting can very well be just as powerful political statement as voting…though it could also very well be laziness, disinterest. Which is why knowing why people don’t vote is important.
These are not at all comparable. To vote in U.S. elections, you must be registered to vote and meet all of the statutory requirements, including being a U.S. citizen, meeting residency requirements, and being 18 years old. Some states also proscribe voting from those who are confined, have felony convictions, or are mentally incapacitated.
There are no comparable requirements that apply to the freedom to practice one’s religion or the freedom from religion.
Seems to me that the right to vote is lagging far behind the right of worship, eh? Seems like more fighting is necessary. Perhaps that’s a huge reason for non voters.
I suspect this is a lot of it. I know that (many) years ago when I lived in NM, it was a pain to find time to vote early, or ask for time off, or the like. Once I moved to CO @ 20 years ago, it was easier, although I’m not going to suggest why, but there were several early voting areas that had ample parking and fast lines. The issue was due to our TABOR laws, you’d be voting on a metric ton of local issues, which the guidebooks abbreviated to the point of confusion.
Then came the mighty day of reckoning! All mail in, all the time. It has never, never been easier to not only vote, but to vote in an informed manner. Judges? Look 'em up in one of more websites to get a balanced idea. State and local politicians? Same, plus voting record. Local and state amendments? Research away. Sure, I spend a good two or so hours filling out the ballot, but I’m doing it from my desk chair with some classic rock and a hard cider.
But going back to the main point, if you make it hard to get to a voting location, hard to park, wait a long time in uncomfortable settings, and then feel overwhelmed at the options, you can drive down turnout, which makes it easier for narrow interest groups with a dedicated voting bloc win control.
IMHO, this is an excuse given by those who don’t vote for whatever reason. They may think they’re making a powerful statement, but they’re actually not. What they are doing instead is making themselves irrelevant, at least as far as politicians are concerned.
It may indeed be important for the long-term health of our democracy, but in general, it seems that the only people concerned with why people don’t vote are good-government advocates and politicians endeavoring to turn them into voters.
I’d say the same thing about voting the opposition or third party in a solidly anti- whatever-side-you’re-on place.
None of this takes away from my original point that we shouldn’t say “who cares?” That drum god advocated.