The Election - Why Do So Few People Vote in The United States?

[JakeBequette]

Well the cashier at work today looked at me and said "So who do you think will be our new President?"

I asked her what she meant and she said 'Well isn't tomorrow election day?'


Are you sure you want that type of person to vote?

 

[cityboy-stl]

Every vote counts and means something, except for presidential ones they don't. ​

Anyway, I will be voting for the first time this year and I'm very excited about it ​

That is not true. If a handful of additional people in Florida had voted for Al Gore this country would be entirely different today. Your vote counts in all elections. I was excited my first vote too! Have fun.

 

[frankfrank]

Here in australia we have a preferance system where you vote in order of preferance for the candidate's

That's called "instant run-off voting" in the United States...UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT USED HERE!!!!!!!!!!! Things would be so very different if this system was in place, but it will never happen. (Just like the electoral college will NEVER be abolished, because it gives the "smaller" states a marginally disproportionate amount of power.) I'd love to see instant run-off voting. I could have voted for Nader in 2004 (he wasn't on the Illinois ballot in 2000) and not worry that my vote would be "wasted" and help Bush get in, because with Nader not winning, my vote would have gone into the Kerry (my #2) column.

The winner-take-all system here also sucks. If a party majority in Congress changes by one seat - where the OTHER party gains a seat and THEY have 218 to 217 in the House instead - the Chairmanships AND the balance of ALL the Congressional committees change. How fair is that?

 

[ALLANKREPINA39]

Lots of reasoned, well-thought out responses here. Sorry to be a tad cycnical. I spent several weeks--midst wretched negative political adverts--informing myself, held my nose, dropped my absentee ballot into the box at the post office, then went home and got sick.
Guess the past 8 years have been traumatic--but at least I cast my vote in hope of helping to effect change.

 

[xyboyms]

Remember when Paris Hilton wore that shirt and joined the Vote or Die campaign??? She didn't even bother to register and didn't vote! F** you Diddy! LOL

 

[lukylok]

Well the cashier at work today looked at me and said "So who do you think will be our new President?"

I asked her what she meant and she said 'Well isn't tomorrow election day?'


Are you sure you want that type of person to vote?

It's Winston Churchill who said : "Democracy is the worst of all the systems bar all the others ".

If you start choosing who can vote, you go back to two hundred years.

Voting should be compulsory. Then the result really reflects what a Nation thinks.

 

[shahmask]

tx is the second largest state in the union. most of the ppl that don't vote here are dems b/c they truly feel it's a waste of time b/c they have no chance of countering the republican vote. and im not talking about austin/travis county. those dems do vote like crazy. im talking dallas, ft. worth, and the rural dems. that part of the voters right there make a large portion of the non-voters of the US. if the president were decided by popular vote rather than by the college, i think many many more texans would vote.

also, the united states has a very fluid society. ppl move like crazy and the last thing on their mind is, oh, did i register to vote in this state? if so, which county am i registered to vote in. o, and which precinct? and where is that place to do it at? and if i didn't register to vote in this state, how the hell is absenty voting done (now, that is truly a pain in the ass)

also, when these statistics are done, they very rarely if ever remove those that aren't qualified to vote such as felony criminals.

also, it does take some time to vote. in early voting this year, i had to wait more than 30 minutes just for them to check my name. in our election this summer, i was in line over 30 minutes too. last years election, i was in line for over an hour.

one more thing about tx. in any given year, there are 2 or more elections that u are qualified to vote in. that turns into a lot of apathy very quickly. and as republican as it is here, it's a pain in the ass to see your voting every year not count for a damn thing.

 

[Croynan]

What a lot of truly excellent comments people have made in this thread with their postings.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL.

To everyone else out there - Go Vote.

eM