# Why don't people just effing vote the way they want? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 28, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384 "2003-09-28T23:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/41 "2003-10-02T15:46:55Z")
Yet another “yeah” to that which was expressed by **SenorBeef** and **stocandrsn**. I tend to agree more often with more of what the Democratic party is doing (or campaigning on) than the Republican, but I’m always alert for any opportunity to vote for a decent Republican candidate, or a good third-party candidate. To do otherwise gives the Democratic party no particular reason to try to to sew up my vote, and gives the Republicans and other parties no reason to consider running someone who might attract my vote. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/42 "2003-10-02T18:12:34Z")
It seems to me that if we abstract this away from politics, and make it a vote on where to eat, no-one would object to “tactical voting” – the three choices, Italian, Anglo-Welsh Lardburgerama, Chinese: you love Italian, but you know it won’t get the majority vote, however you hate Anglo-Welsh Lardburgerama but you could live with Chinese, whatcha gonna do? ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/43 "2003-10-02T19:50:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*Because it’s essentially a second vote and you don’t get to hedge your bets in an election that way. It’s cowardly. Vote for who you want in office, end of story and if your choice doesn’t win - tough luck. You don’t get two votes to my one. \*\* Don’t give me this “end of story” crap. I want to make a symbolic statement that I’m tired of the Lesser of Two Evils, without unintentionally helping the Worse of Two Evils to get into Office. I think we’d get some interesting results if we allowed people to vote their conscience without the fear they will help the bad guy win. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/44 "2003-10-02T20:00:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MixieArmadillo \* > **It’s early, I’m young, and liberal, and probably have no idea what I’m talking about.** Go right ahead and apologize for posting early in the day, but never, ever apologize for being young, and never, ever, EVER apologize for being liberal. To “apologize” for being liberal is to buy into the conservative line that to be liberal is to be unrealistically idealistic, inexperienced, and untested. That’s pure B.S. Be a liberal, and be a PROUD one … for you are standing on the shoulders of some damn great men and women when you do so! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/45 "2003-10-02T20:26:12Z")
…and their shoulders are getting _sore_ because oppressive shoulder-standers who never bother looking down keep grinding with their stormtrooper Doc Marten clodhoppers while retaining the better view for thems… sorry, as you were. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/46 "2003-10-02T20:56:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spiff \* > **Go right ahead and apologize for posting early in the day, but never, ever apologize for being young, and never, ever, EVER apologize for being liberal.** 🙂 Thanks, and you needn’t worry, I’m barefoot most of the time anyway 😉 I hope that the current white house debacle will allow others to actually give a thought to who(m?) they’re casting a vote for next time around. ~mixie ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/47 "2003-10-03T07:16:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Orbifold \* > I believe this is the “if you refuse to vote Democrat then you’re objectively pro-Republican” argument. Nah, it’s the "Vote for whoever you want, but don’t tell me I’m shit just because I voted for Gore and I’m not as cool & liberal as you guys.:rolleyes: > [@](#): > > Do you know who I blame for G.W. Bush’s actions in office? G.W. Bush. Do you know who I blame for electing G.W. Bush? The 47% of the population that voted for him. > > I most emphatically do not blame the Green Party or their voters for any of this. I don’t either, I’m just defending those who voted for Gore because he was a better choice than Bush. I don’t know where you guys get off thinking you’re all high & mighty because you would never vote for the lesser of two evils. (Not that I think Gore is evil, but apparently some of you do.) > [@](#): > > Voting is the _one_ chance most people have to express their views on how they think the country should be run. If you vote for someone who doesn’t represent your views then you’ve really thrown your vote away. I agree. But we’re not necessarily talking about that. It might be that a lot of people liked Gore better than Bush, but liked Nader a little better than Gore. Given that Nader didn’t stand a chance, it would be a perfectly valid strategy to cast your vote where you think it will do some good. A lot of people do that, and it doesn’t mean they’re voting for someone they don’t like, or just voting based on party affiliation - it just means they’re practical. Sometimes it’s better not to vote for the guy way out in left field even if you like some of the stuff he has to say - if there’s a reasonable and practical alternative. The way I see it, we had one guy who was pretty certain to get us into a war and fuck up the economy, and 2 guys who probably wouldn’t. It makes perfect sense, in spite of Voodoochile’s assertion that such people are “disgusting”, “petty”, “immature”, and “make him sick”. Fuck that noise. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/48 "2003-10-03T10:28:46Z")
Here’s an interesting site: [Technical Evaluation of Election Methods](http://electionmethods.org/evaluation.htm) They rank several election methods with several objective criteria, and their favorite is the [Condorcet](http://electionmethods.org/Condorcet.htm) method. The Approval and Cardinal methods (“point system”) also come out looking pretty good, but they roundly condemn Instant Runoff Voting. ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/49 "2003-10-03T13:13:21Z")
Heh. **Blowero** , why don’t we just agree that we’re both sick of people telling us how to vote? I don’t believe in strategic voting, but I’ll happily not press the point. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384/50 "2003-10-03T13:19:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*I agree. But we’re not necessarily talking about that. It might be that a lot of people liked Gore better than Bush, but liked Nader a little better than Gore. Given that Nader didn’t stand a chance, it would be a perfectly valid strategy to cast your vote where you think it will do some good. A lot of people do that, and it doesn’t mean they’re voting for someone they don’t like, or just voting based on party affiliation - it just means they’re practical. Sometimes it’s better not to vote for the guy way out in left field even if you like some of the stuff he has to say - if there’s a reasonable and practical alternative. The way I see it, we had one guy who was pretty certain to get us into a war and fuck up the economy, and 2 guys who probably wouldn’t. It makes perfect sense, in spite of Voodoochile’s assertion that such people are “disgusting”, “petty”, “immature”, and “make him sick”. Fuck that noise. \*\* Erm, don’t be so touchy. I don’t think the statement was ever made that if you vote for Gore, you’re the spawn of Satan. It’s perfectly reasonable to vote for Gore if you feel that he’s aligned with your politics, even if you like Nader, and like Gore a little less but still feel that he’s a reasonable vote. Personally, I’m only saying that if you really feel that a third party candidate truly represents your political views, and _neither of the two major candidates do at **all** _, yet you cast a vote for one of them anyway specifically because the little guy won’t win–that’s the practice I’m questioning. Chill out. No one is questioning an honest decision to cast a vote for a major candidate if you like what he has to say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-just-effing-vote-the-way-they-want/204384.md?page=2)