Voting Dilemma !

L

Ladybuggy

Registered Users (C)
Ok I am in a voting dilemma.
One of the reasons I became a citizen or chose to be one was the right to vote in the country I've been in for a long time and plan to spend the rest of my life.
So we are getting closer and closer to the whole presidential nominee and debates and stuff.
Anyways .. my husbands grandma told me it is the duty of an american to vote. Well that is her view of things and in a way I agree. You have in a way no right to complain if you don't vote but how can you vote for someone you don't agree with you know what I mean ?
I just don't know what to do. I just don't see that anyone of the ones who are running right now will change my mind.
 
Considering how many americans choose not to vote, I don't think the majority considers this a solem duty - so why should you?

Participation is always below 50%, if memory serves me right.
 
Ladybuggy said:
Ok I am in a voting dilemma.
One of the reasons I became a citizen or chose to be one was the right to vote in the country I've been in for a long time and plan to spend the rest of my life.
So we are getting closer and closer to the whole presidential nominee and debates and stuff.
Anyways .. my husbands grandma told me it is the duty of an american to vote. Well that is her view of things and in a way I agree. You have in a way no right to complain if you don't vote but how can you vote for someone you don't agree with you know what I mean ?
I just don't know what to do. I just don't see that anyone of the ones who are running right now will change my mind.
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As someone who is really hoping to be able to vote in the upcoming election, and someone who is less than thrilled with the possible presidential candidates, here's what I'd do in your situation. A voting ballot has a blank space where you can write in the name of any candidate, real or fake. You can always exercise that option, or vote for a candidate who belongs to any one of the minor parties (Green, Reform, Independence, etc.). A candidate who belongs to a minor party will most likely never become President, but at least you are exercising your right to vote and contributing to the American way.
 
If there is no candidate that you feel shares your views and you don't want to pick the lesser of two evils available, then your only choice is to spoil your ballot as a symbolic gesture or don't vote at all.
 
Vorpal I had no Idea I can do that. So what you are saying if I want to put Al Gore or John Kerry or whoever in there I can ? Not saying I would put them in there put those are the ones that popped in my head that quick, lol.

I know my options are to vote or not to vote. I know that even though I registered to vote the law doesn't require me to but in a way I feel like I am in a loophole and I don't know why I feel like that.
 
George Carlin disagrees with you - he says that those who voted - have no right to complain

about American Dream http://youtube.com/watch?v=kJ4SSvVbhLw
about Voting http://youtube.com/watch?v=0u6lCBnRoHQ

it all has been bought and sold many times, and elections are only illusion of freedom, so why bother?

on the other hand unused ballot can be used to steal the votes, so when i get naturalized in 2008 or 2012 I will vote for the least disliked candidate, who is Obama for me right now. Nobody is perfect, but comparing to another 100 years of war and money spent to strengthen military - he seems like a good option.

plus it's one of few (if not only one??) country that allows to vote ahead of time by mail, so problem of wasting election day in lines is solved.
 
I don't think there EVER is a presidential candidate who's a great choice. The way I see it, there only is the lesser of two (yes, two) evils to choose from. Maybe to prevent the worse candidate (in your eyes) from winning, you could cast your vote for the "better" one? I think this is how voting goes. No matter where you are. Nobody is perfect. I wish a huge number of Americans could take the plunge at the same time and vote for a third party and propel it to power, but, alas, I don't think that'll happen this year...
 
Ladybuggy said:
Vorpal I had no Idea I can do that. So what you are saying if I want to put Al Gore or John Kerry or whoever in there I can ? Not saying I would put them in there put those are the ones that popped in my head that quick, lol.
.
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You can write any person's name on the ballot, but unless that person is registered as a candidate doing so spoils your ballot and renders it void. Again, it would be a symbolic gesture on your part if you spoil your ballot.
 
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i will be in the same situation as you are pretty soon. I also am not thrilled with the choices but still plan on voting. I think I will go with the one who I think will do less damage :)
or i cal always put wesley clark's name on the ballot but i assume that will go to waste.
 
This is not a dilemma. If you choose not to vote, that's a personal choice. You're right, it also gives you less right to complain about who is elected. So you can not vote and then not complain. The flipside is, if you do choose to vote and your person wins, you bear some degree of responsibility for the outcome. I won't tell you what I think people who voted Bush in 2000 and 2004 deserve.

I think naturalized citizens do feel the "duty" to vote more acutely than natural born americans, who take many of their privileges for granted.

Ladybuggy said:
how can you vote for someone you don't agree with you know what I mean ?
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I don't think this should influence your decision whether to vote or not. There is nothing that says you have to be in perfect agreement with the person you vote for. The chances of this happening are almost zero. The idea is to vote for the candidate that, of the limited options presented, you feel is the better choice. There is absolutely no contradiction with your principles in making such a choice.

Unless you truly feel that there is literally no difference between the candidates (and I don't think you can make that argument in this election), then lack of agreement with either of them on principle or policy is not an excuse for not voting.
 
Ladybuggy said:
Ok I am in a voting dilemma.
You have in a way no right to complain if you don't vote but how can you vote for someone you don't agree with you know what I mean ?
I just don't know what to do. I just don't see that anyone of the ones who are running right now will change my mind.
Click to expand...

What would be the point of voting in president elections? You are not voting directly for president. Remember 2000 elections? There is Electoral College.
 
im50 said:
What would be the point of voting in president elections? You are not voting directly for president. Remember 2000 elections? There is Electoral College.
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That's the way the system is set up. It's not perfect, but it's the only way to have an influence on who is elected.

The electoral college isn't the cause of the 2000 result. Gore ought to have won the electoral college and only failed to do so because of a Supreme Court decision.
 
nyc_naturalizer said:
Gore ought to have won the electoral college and only failed to do so because of a Supreme Court decision.
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Anyone who tells you they know who won in Florida in 2000 is lying. The problem with our electoral system is that when you come within under 1,000 votes out of several million cast, the entire system breaks down.

I would have had more sympathy for Gore had he insisted on a state-wide recount, not just in Democratic counties. I would also have had slightly more sympathy for him if he had been able to carry his own home state.
 
nyc_naturalizer said:
It's the only way to have an influence on who is elected.
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You have NO influence whatsoever if you live in one of the non-swinging states.

No matter how you vote – your vote is not going to change anything. For example if you live in Texas – there is no point in voting if you are democrat and vise versa in California.

And then even if you live in swing states – it all comes to the electors – for whom they are going to vote.
 
MartinAub said:
Considering how many americans choose not to vote, I don't think the majority considers this a solem duty - so why should you?

Participation is always below 50%, if memory serves me right.
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Because it does not matter how many people turn out to vote in a given state, the electoral college eliminates any advantage to campaign for encouraging voters to turn out (except in the few closely fought swing states).

If the presidential election were decided by a national popular vote, in contrast, parties would have a strong incentive to work to increase turnout everywhere.
 
im50 said:
You have NO influence whatsoever if you live in one of the non-swinging states.
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Of course you do. That's why they're non-swinging states. I live in New York. It always votes democratic, because most of people vote democratic, and they are the ones who influence the outcome. If I were to vote Republican, I would also be influencing the outcome. It's just that my influence would not be decisive in the end. That's how a vote works.
 
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