01-27-2016, 04:37 PM
(01-27-2016, 04:23 PM)wildcats forever Wrote: It's relatively easy to understand why people would be inclined not to vote, but I am with you on this. It's something we should do, even if it's just voting for the lessor evil. To me, not voting is kind of voting for your most hated.
It is easy to understand, I do get it. I am constantly looking at situations with no candidate that actually represents my positions on issues, if I have an election with more than one person on the ballot to begin with. A few years ago, though, someone that had been around politics for a while and then retired told me that whenever someone ran unopposed and he didn't like them (sometimes he did this even if he did) he would write in someone. The reason is because say the constituency is 1000 people, to make it an even number. If only 350 of those people vote for the unopposed candidate, and everyone else leaves it blank or doesn't vote, then the polls show 100% voted for them because it was 100% of the votes cast. But if every one of those people votes and the other 650 write in people, it can even be someone different for every voter, then the person only receives 35% of the vote. If someone is running unopposed, that's pretty embarrassing.
The same principle applies when you're presented with a perceived choice between a turd sandwich and a giant douche. Vote third party or a write-in, don't not vote. When you become apathetic to piss poor choices on election day then the piss poor choices will just perpetuate, nothing will change. If we actually vote with our conscience, vote who we most closely align with instead of acquiescing or giving up we can at least make some movement towards changing how our system works in this country.
Yes, I know I sound like an idealist, but the power in this country is supposed to belong to the people and it really still does. We just need to start using it.
