Voting Worthless?

[Craig234]

As I've said multiple times in this thread, it has nothing to do with the idea that votes somehow aren't fairly counted, it has to do with the simple math of it. The odds are so small that your vote will affect the outcome that it simply isn't worth your time from a mathematical/economic utility standpoint.

You would be just as well off using that time to go buy lottery tickets.

The value of voting isn't just changing who wins. It's supporting democracy as a whole.

 

[VtPC83]

Very interesting, so far the poll is tied. I honestly didn't think I would get so many 'yes' responses.

To reiterate, voting itself, as esimkospy pointed out, is inherently skewed toward a single person's vote not mattering. On the other hand, when no one votes someone is seriously going to lose so it is valuable to vote.

I believe at this time in our nation's history it doesn't matter though. There is so much corruption, greed and other outside factors affecting a political figure that they will never be worth voting for. They will always change or go against what they originally stood for. This isn't a Red or Blue issue either, it is for both parties. I think everyone can attest to that.

At this point, voting is worthless given the serious lack of character, responsibility and integrity of the options available and I don't see that changing anytime soon given the mindset of people these days.

 

[fskimospy]

Very interesting, so far the poll is tied. I honestly didn't think I would get so many 'yes' responses.

To reiterate, voting itself, as esimkospy pointed out, is inherently skewed toward a single person's vote not mattering. On the other hand, when no one votes someone is seriously going to lose so it is valuable to vote.

I believe at this time in our nation's history it doesn't matter though. There is so much corruption, greed and other outside factors affecting a political figure that they will never be worth voting for. They will always change or go against what they originally stood for. This isn't a Red or Blue issue either, it is for both parties. I think everyone can attest to that.

At this point, voting is worthless given the serious lack of character, responsibility and integrity of the options available and I don't see that changing anytime soon given the mindset of people these days.

Do you think the levels of corruption, greed, whatever for individual politicians are higher now than in the past? If so, why?

 

[Nebor]

The value of voting isn't just changing who wins. It's supporting democracy as a whole.

So you wouldn't like Republican voters to stay home?

 

[PingSpike]

The value of voting isn't just changing who wins. It's supporting democracy as a whole.

I'm sure all those dictators who receive 90% votes in sham elections year after year would agree voting is very important.

 

[VtPC83]

Do you think the levels of corruption, greed, whatever for individual politicians are higher now than in the past? If so, why?

I don't necessarily think they are higher, I think, with the dissemination of information today because of the internet, etc, that we are more aware of the corruption. If in the past we saw 20% of the these issues with politicians then we do now, we now see 80% because of the increase in accessible data.

In the past you had corruption but it was really only visible to those people directly related or in contact with the politician. Now, we can see corruption and greed and unethical behavior from all the politicians all over the country instantly.

 

[fskimospy]

I don't necessarily think they are higher, I think, with the dissemination of information today because of the internet, etc, that we are more aware of the corruption. If in the past we saw 20% of the these issues with politicians then we do now, we now see 80% because of the increase in accessible data.

In the past you had corruption but it was really only visible to those people directly related or in contact with the politician. Now, we can see corruption and greed and unethical behavior from all the politicians all over the country instantly.

So do you mean that voting in the US has always been worthless? Or at least has been worthless for a very long time now?

 

[VtPC83]

I believe as we continue to progress as a country towards a highly divided line of haves and have nots the voting will become more and more worthless. The haves will continue to influence those voted into office to the point where they don't resemble who I voted for in the first place.

Add to this the generation now where information about politicians and what they do is so readily accessible and we have a situation where not only are the people we vote for turning their backs on those who voted for them but we, as voters, are more aware of it. Not only are we more aware of the corruption itself, we are also MADE aware that there is little we can do to change it.

If I were to run for an office, I better have the money (from myself or more likely, from people who will help me but will also want me to change when in office) to compete otherwise I will just be another name at the bottom of the voting ballot that no one has heard of.

 

[ComradeBeck]

Jeffersonian method is flawed, we need a lot of changes to our outdated form of voting. First past the post seems to only get us 2 choices hand picked by the corporate oligarchy. Americans have always complained about the shit 2 party system. I was just reading a book taking place in 1916 and the main character was talking about how USA was a farce that gives you the illusion that you have choice every 4 years. It is way past time to take a look at our constitution.

 

[PrinceofWands]

The idea of voting is not worthless, but our system is.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The idea of voting is not worthless, but our system is.

This.

 

[biostud]

....you send soldiers around the world to die for democracy but doesn't believe it at home...

We just had elections in Denmark with highest percentage of voters ever: 87.9%

We have eight different parties in our parliament with three of them forming a new government, after the old one lost after a 10 years reign. I'm member of a party, so yeas I do believe in voting.

As an outsider looking at the US system some of the problems are:

-The growing inequality in the US population. Money, knowledge and power are on fewer hands than ever, making it easier to manipulate those less fortunate. Studies have shown that the larger inequality in a country, the less belief in the political system.

-Two party system

-Religion playing a large part of politics

 

[Thegonagle]

It's a good system but it allows Democrats to be in charge. That is how stacks of "ballots" are found in a person's car and allowed to be counted. Only in a Democrat controlled process can a Democrat win a precinct with the total count of votes being more than the number of those that actually voted and allowed to stand.

1) I seem to remember a couple of precincts in Anoka County--hardly a democratic stronghold--that were off by single digits.

2) No ballots were ever found in the trunk of a car. I don't even know how one thinks that. One out of 5 sealed bundles of ballots went missing from one precinct in the city of Minneapolis--apparently misplaced while being transported from the precinct to the county office--and was never found anywhere. For the recount, they did the only thing that they could without disenfranchising an entire precinct, which was reuse the election night machine count. I don't believe either side had a problem with that.

If you had been paying attention during those recounts, as I was, you'd know the facts, not FUDdy innuendo.

Some people are just bitter because high turnout favors the populist.