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Should Someone Be Required By Law To Vote In The Presidential Election(s)?

Should It Be Required That ALL Legal U.S. Citizens Vote In Presidential Elections?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 6.2%

  • No

    Votes: 60 92.3%

  • Only A Certain Amount Every So Many Years

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • Total voters
    65
Dragonfly said:
Why isn't not voting simply viewed as voting "none of the above"?

Same outcome. Same concept.

Less pollution, and less congestion at voting places.
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Less representation by those to be governed.
 
The only people to vote should be those who are informed on the issues. Uninformed people are those who are swayed by "HOPE & CHANGE".
 
Catawba said:
That is always the case except in fairy tales where utopia possible. Let's have 10 candidates from 10 different parties if you wish. If you have 10 candidates, people will still pick the one they feel will do the most good.

The very definition of choice itself means picking who or what is your best option.
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I think most of us can agree that the 2-party system sucks. I know of several moderate liberals who will either not be voting this year or will be voting for the Republican nominee. It's because Obama is far too extreme left wing for their taste. But with the money it takes to run a campaign though, it makes it extremely difficult for a 3rd, 4th or even 5th party candidate to run effectively. The MSM ignores anyone that doesn't have a 'D' or an 'R' next to their name anyway. The only "successful" 3rd party candidate that I can recall in my lifetime was Perot and that was only the case because he had tons of money to spend.
 
gmeyers1944 said:
The only people to vote should be those who are informed on the issues. Uninformed people are those who are swayed by "HOPE & CHANGE".
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If that were the case, there wouldn't be too many people voting.
 
Catawba said:
A democratic system can only work through voters holding their representatives accountable. The founders provided this mechanism of peaceful revolution to keep our government representative. If we are not willing to do our part, we will not have a representative government, we will have the government we deserve, IMO.
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If nobody votes, sure nothing will get done, but I don't see how more people voting will affect make politicians any more accountable. If anything, they will have to increase their emphasis on style over substance while campaigning. Today we have the problem with incumbents having far more name-recognition than their opponents. People who vote but don't pay much attention to the race tend to be more drawn to the incumbent. If you are worried about holding officials accountable, forcing more people into the process against their wishes will not help the situation. If people do not want to be represented, that's their decision.
 
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Dragonfly said:
You're wrong. While the vast majority feel that most people in Washington should be voted out, the vast majority also feel it's not "their guy" that's the problem, but all the OTHER people. Which is why we have career politicians.
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What you are describing is difference in priorities in the voters. When only half the people vote, you get a skewed representation of the population's priorities as a whole IMO.

Our entire political system has become so corrupted and distorted that many people just feel it's all a waste of time.
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Most of the people that say that don't vote, so have no say so in how the country is run.

When the "best choice" becomes either an Obama or a Romney I can totally understand why many would rather just drink beer and contemplate their next bowel movement. Neither of those two choices represents me. I can fully understand why, if those are the two choices come November, that many people will just walk right past the polling places and enter the nearest bar.
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Then why haven't you, and others that don't vote, worked to get another candidate in the running? Democracy is not a spectator sport. Things don't change because we wish it so.
 
Hugh_Akston said:
I think most of us can agree that the 2-party system sucks. I know of several moderate liberals who will either not be voting this year or will be voting for the Republican nominee. It's because Obama is far too extreme left wing for their taste. But with the money it takes to run a campaign though, it makes it extremely difficult for a 3rd, 4th or even 5th party candidate to run effectively. The MSM ignores anyone that doesn't have a 'D' or an 'R' next to their name anyway. The only "successful" 3rd party candidate that I can recall in my lifetime was Perot and that was only the case because he had tons of money to spend.
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Its now easy for third party candidates to get on the ticket now in most of the states, but we see very few winning elections in those states where they run. I think the biggest problem is that most third party parties have taken extreme positions, while most of the US are moderates.

One of the main problems of the libertarian party for example is their positions are so extreme, they only appeal to a tiny percentage of voters.

Most Americans do not find Obama to be extreme, especially in banking regulation and defense. Being the most moderate was why he was able to win in 2008 and will win again this year.
 
Catawba said:
Its now easy for third party candidates to get on the ticket now in most of the states, but we see very few winning elections in those states where they run. I think the biggest problem is that most third party parties have taken extreme positions, while most of the US are moderates.

One of the main problems of the libertarian party for example is their positions are so extreme, they only appeal to a tiny percentage of voters.

Most Americans do not find Obama to be extreme, especially in banking regulation and defense. Being the most moderate was why he was able to win in 2008 and will win again this year.
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:lamo

If you think Obama is a moderate, I have ocean front property in Missouri to sell you, but that's a different conversation for a different thread.
 
Hugh_Akston said:
:lamo

If you think Obama is a moderate, I have ocean front property in Missouri to sell you, but that's a different conversation for a different thread.
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Its all relative to the standards of the voting populace. Obama won because the majority of voters considered him more moderate than McCain. Its the same reason he will beat Romney (Mr 1%) in November.
 
Catawba said:
And we have the government we deserve as a result...................
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OK, we get the government we deserve... cool. You are not answering my question. How does making apathetic people vote make politicians more accountable?
 
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As much as I believe voting is an incredible right that we have that many could care less for, I think it is their loss. Those people however, cannot have an opinion on politics at all. Anytime someone that doesn't vote bitches about something I just tell them tough titty.
 
DrunkenAsparagus said:
OK, we get the government we deserve... cool. You are not answering my question. How does making apathetic people vote make politicians more accountable?
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Voting is the means provided to us under the Constitution for a peaceful revolution each election. If we do not take advantage of this peaceful means of revolution, than we have only ourselves to blame.

But rest easy DA, since there is no compulsory voting requirements, we will make the choice for you.
 
Catawba said:
Its all relative to the standards of the voting populace. Obama won because the majority of voters considered him more moderate than McCain.
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Yes, they had the wool pulled over their eyes.

Catawba said:
Its the same reason he will beat Romney (Mr 1%) in November.
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God help us all if that happens. Gas twice as high as it was when he was sworn into office, massive debt accumulation, 15.1% true unemployment rate, 9.3 million underemployed (as of 10/11) and a crippling Health Care package. Anyone that would vote for him for a 2nd term has their head buried in the sand.
 
Hugh_Akston said:
Yes, they had the wool pulled over their eyes.
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From your perspective obviously, but not from the perspective of the majority of Americans.


God help us all if that happens. Gas twice as high as it was when he was sworn into office, massive debt accumulation, 15.1% true unemployment rate, 9.3 million underemployed (as of 10/11) and a crippling Health Care package. Anyone that would vote for him for a 2nd term has their head buried in the sand.
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We passed peak oil in this country in 1971, and we are approaching world peak oil. Most people are aware of this, just as they are aware that the high unemployment is due to the Bush Recession. And people prefer the Democrat health care plan to that of the Republican health care plan of throwing seniors and the working class to the street.

Who in their right mind would vote for the GOP that are just offering more of the financial deregulation, tax cuts for the rich and increased military spending that created most of the national debt over the last 30 years???

The topping on the cake though was when the GOP played their hand too soon after the 2010 election and unveiled their plan to throw seniors under the bus to pay for the increased tax cuts for the wealthy that they want.
 
Catawba said:
Voting is the means provided to us under the Constitution for a peaceful revolution each election. If we do not take advantage of this peaceful means of revolution, than we have only ourselves to blame.
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Lots of people do take advantage of this right as is. You still have not shown how making more apathetic and clueless people vote increases turnover rates or makes politicians more accountable.

Catawba said:
But rest easy DA, since there is no compulsory voting requirements, we will make the choice for you.
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I will be voting this November. I just have no interest in forcing my preference on others, wherever possible. I'm probably just going to waste my vote on Gary Johnson rather than waste it on one of the two clowns that gets nominated by the Republicrats.
 
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DrunkenAsparagus said:
Lots of people do take advantage of this right as is. You still have not shown how making more apathetic and clueless people vote increases turnover rates or makes politicians more accountable.
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I see, you prefer the results we get from the clueless people that currently vote? Whatever floats your boat!



I will be voting this November. I just have no interest in forcing my preference on others, wherever possible. I'm probably just going to waste my vote on Gary Johnson rather than waste it on one of the two clowns that gets nominated by the Republicrats.
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No one has suggested forcing a preference on others, that's you strawman. Glad to hear you are voting, shows that you feel some responsibility to participate in your government.
 
Though it's not the greatest form of expression, it is not a lack of expression to refuse to vote. And, actually, not participating in elections can be the best form of expression (for some or many) if alternative options are wholly undesirable or if no faith is had for the political process or if one is well aware that democracy as advertised is a fallacy.

Campaigns such as "rock the vote" are irrelevant in terms of attracting real voter response. They ignore the purpose for not voting; they assume ignorance, unwillingness, etc for not voting. The issue is not non-caring youths and others, it's that some people may care too much and are not dumb enough to accept the garbage that is politics and political maneuvering and all the rest of it. (Many politicians depend on this.) People, young and old, expect more, and, they also understand that their individual votes doesn't matter as much as an individual's vast vast fortunes does. Money wins elections and if you're not rich, the whole electoral process can seem irrelevant.
 
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Hugh_Akston said:
Yes, they had the wool pulled over their eyes.
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Or, the majority of the country has different priorities than you and the others in the far right.
 
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Catawba said:
I see, you prefer the results we get from the clueless people that currently vote? Whatever floats your boat!
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Stop putting words in my mouth. You are still dodging. Of course I want an informed electorate, but how will forcing people to vote yield a more informed electorate?

Catawba said:
No one has suggested forcing a preference on others, that's you strawman. Glad to hear you are voting, shows that you feel some responsibility to participate in your government.
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Yes you are. You are not forcing people to pick a particular candidate, but you are forcing people to take part in a system that they have no desire to be a part of.
 
Required by law to vote?

Absolutely not.

It's not even debatable.

There's 30 seconds I'll never get back. :roll:
 
The only way this could be allowed is if there was a "None of the above" option. You can't force people to sit there and choose between two terrible choices or as many put it "The lesser of two evils"

Another alternative is to do away with the primary process and have a jungle primary. If you are running for president everyone must start on the same day, party doesn't matter. If 1 person gets 50.1% they win, period. If not then it is a run off for the top 2. Done.
 
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