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Did your non-vote count?

Kal'Stang

Kal'Stang

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Bonners Ferry ID USA
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I didn't vote this election. I'm sure most people who have read my posts on the subject know why by now. If you don't :shrug: maybe this post will give you an understanding as to why.

Before the election day came around I had already determined that I would vote for Romney if I was going to vote at all. For the simple fact that he isn't Obama. Not that he was better than Obama or worse than Obama. Indeed I put him in the same exact catagory as Obama. Power Hungry asshole that doesn't actually care about this country.

But in the end I didn't vote. Was a waste of my time. And this election just proved it to me. I live in Idaho. A state that has pretty much always voted Republican. And this election was no different. Idaho's electoral votes went to Romney just as I predicted it would. Romney got 54.04% of the votes, Obama got 42.72%. So the margin was relatively quite wide...and normal.

So in the end my vote was worthless. The electoral votes still went to Republicans and even if I was inclined to vote for Obama my vote still wouldn't have meant a thing as there was too wide a gap for my one measley little vote would not have made up the roughly 12% difference.

So my question to those that didn't vote...did you find a similar experiance with your non-vote?

This is also why I don't like the electoral voting system we have. People keep talking about other peoples votes being disenfranchised when talking about voter ID laws yet what they don't see is that there is disenfranchisement going on right now with the system we have in place. Where peoples votes literally mean nothing and have no value.

To those that did vote, knowing what I have told you here...do you think that more people would vote in the elections if our system of voting was based on the popular vote instead of the current system?

To answer that question on a personal note...yes I would vote if I thought that my vote actually meant something. And in a popular voting system my vote WOULD mean something...even if my side lost.
 
I also live in a RED state so nothing would have changed with or without my vote on the presidential level .....but I did go vote because there were state positions up for grabs and for that reason my vote was important and it counted!!
 
Kal'Stang said:
I didn't vote this election. I'm sure most people who have read my posts on the subject know why by now. If you don't :shrug: maybe this post will give you an understanding as to why.

Before the election day came around I had already determined that I would vote for Romney if I was going to vote at all. For the simple fact that he isn't Obama. Not that he was better than Obama or worse than Obama. Indeed I put him in the same exact catagory as Obama. Power Hungry asshole that doesn't actually care about this country.

But in the end I didn't vote. Was a waste of my time. And this election just proved it to me. I live in Idaho. A state that has pretty much always voted Republican. And this election was no different. Idaho's electoral votes went to Romney just as I predicted it would. Romney got 54.04% of the votes, Obama got 42.72%. So the margin was relatively quite wide...and normal.

So in the end my vote was worthless. The electoral votes still went to Republicans and even if I was inclined to vote for Obama my vote still wouldn't have meant a thing as there was too wide a gap for my one measley little vote would not have made up the roughly 12% difference.

So my question to those that didn't vote...did you find a similar experiance with your non-vote?

This is also why I don't like the electoral voting system we have. People keep talking about other peoples votes being disenfranchised when talking about voter ID laws yet what they don't see is that there is disenfranchisement going on right now with the system we have in place. Where peoples votes literally mean nothing and have no value.

To those that did vote, knowing what I have told you here...do you think that more people would vote in the elections if our system of voting was based on the popular vote instead of the current system?

To answer that question on a personal note...yes I would vote if I thought that my vote actually meant something. And in a popular voting system my vote WOULD mean something...even if my side lost.
Click to expand...

I vote in FL......mine always counts, at least when when the officials actually count them!
 
Kal'Stang said:
I didn't vote this election. I'm sure most people who have read my posts on the subject know why by now. If you don't :shrug: maybe this post will give you an understanding as to why.

Before the election day came around I had already determined that I would vote for Romney if I was going to vote at all. For the simple fact that he isn't Obama. Not that he was better than Obama or worse than Obama. Indeed I put him in the same exact catagory as Obama. Power Hungry asshole that doesn't actually care about this country.

But in the end I didn't vote. Was a waste of my time. And this election just proved it to me. I live in Idaho. A state that has pretty much always voted Republican. And this election was no different. Idaho's electoral votes went to Romney just as I predicted it would. Romney got 54.04% of the votes, Obama got 42.72%. So the margin was relatively quite wide...and normal.

So in the end my vote was worthless. The electoral votes still went to Republicans and even if I was inclined to vote for Obama my vote still wouldn't have meant a thing as there was too wide a gap for my one measley little vote would not have made up the roughly 12% difference.

So my question to those that didn't vote...did you find a similar experiance with your non-vote?

This is also why I don't like the electoral voting system we have. People keep talking about other peoples votes being disenfranchised when talking about voter ID laws yet what they don't see is that there is disenfranchisement going on right now with the system we have in place. Where peoples votes literally mean nothing and have no value.

To those that did vote, knowing what I have told you here...do you think that more people would vote in the elections if our system of voting was based on the popular vote instead of the current system?

To answer that question on a personal note...yes I would vote if I thought that my vote actually meant something. And in a popular voting system my vote WOULD mean something...even if my side lost.
Click to expand...

if you are in a swing state, your non vote helped obama. If your state is solid red or blue, your non vote was meaningless.
 
You make it sound as if the ID state ballot contained only Obama/Romney, while it no doubt had other offices/issues to select. The idea that your vote does not matter only exists if you do not use that right. Consider what could happen if you, and millions of others, actually did vote. Even if your vote always went to each winning candidate/proposal it at least shows up - perhaps showing the futility of running against them and giving them that much more power/standing.

http://www.boisecounty.us/Content/Site101/Articles/01_01_2008/233Sampleballot_00000005430.pdf
 
Last edited:
liblady said:
I vote in FL......mine always counts, at least when when the officials actually count them!
Click to expand...

That is because your state is one of the few states which is considered a swing state. I would imagine that is about the only time when voting under our current system actually matters. But in states which are NEVER swing states? Whats the point?
 
Joke = Yes my non vote counted because my country doesn't exist so I won.

Reality - No it did not.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
You make it sound as if the ID state ballot contained only Obama/Romney, while it no doubt had other offices/issues to select. The idea that your vote does not matter only exists if you do not use that right. Consider what could happen if you, and millions of others, actually did vote. Even if your vote always went to each winning candidate/proposal it at least shows up - perhaps showing the futility of running against them and giving them that much more power/standing.
Click to expand...

Sure we had the other Presidential hopefulls. Whoever they were....

And I already showed why my vote would not have mattered one iota. Larger numbers of people voting would not make that big of difference as the statistics would still be about the same. With about a 3% margin of error....
 
Kal'Stang said:
That is because your state is one of the few states which is considered a swing state. I would imagine that is about the only time when voting under our current system actually matters. But in states which are NEVER swing states? Whats the point?
Click to expand...

I actually like it that way....before FL, I lived in WI, another purple state. I voted absentee this time, I think one should vote even though you don't think it will count......what if everybody felt the same way?
 
liblady said:
I actually like it that way....before FL, I lived in WI, another purple state. I voted absentee this time, I think one should vote even though you don't think it will count......what if everybody felt the same way?
Click to expand...

Hence my question to those that voted....

"do you think that more people would vote in the elections if our system of voting was based on the popular vote instead of the current system?"

My vote was worthless because of the electoral voting system we have and my State is not a swing state and it pretty much has always voted Republican.
 
Kal'Stang said:
That is because your state is one of the few states which is considered a swing state. I would imagine that is about the only time when voting under our current system actually matters. But in states which are NEVER swing states? Whats the point?
Click to expand...

The point is you vote counts on state level for those positions up for grabs.
 
Kal'Stang said:
Hence my question to those that voted....

"do you think that more people would vote in the elections if our system of voting was based on the popular vote instead of the current system?"

My vote was worthless because of the electoral voting system we have and my State is not a swing state and it pretty much has always voted Republican.
Click to expand...

Sorry I didn't see that thread. I honestly don't think that many more people would vote, but I can't quantify that.
 
straykatz said:
The point is you vote counts on state level for those positions up for grabs.
Click to expand...

We are not talking about state level. We're talking Presidential level. And I never stated I didn't vote on state level. When it comes to state level things my vote does count...but then its based on popular vote..not electoral.
 
Kal'Stang said:
We are not talking about state level. We're talking Presidential level. And I never stated I didn't vote on state level. When it comes to state level things my vote does count...but then its based on popular vote..not electoral.
Click to expand...

You simply said "I didn't vote"....you did not specify that you voted on the state level but left your presidential options blank so my answer was based on the assumption you did not vote at all.....I'm glad you at least voted on that level....as Americans we tend to take our right to vote for granted.
 
Kal'Stang said:
I didn't vote this election. I'm sure most people who have read my posts on the subject know why by now. If you don't :shrug: maybe this post will give you an understanding as to why.

Before the election day came around I had already determined that I would vote for Romney if I was going to vote at all. For the simple fact that he isn't Obama. Not that he was better than Obama or worse than Obama. Indeed I put him in the same exact catagory as Obama. Power Hungry asshole that doesn't actually care about this country.

But in the end I didn't vote. Was a waste of my time. And this election just proved it to me. I live in Idaho. A state that has pretty much always voted Republican. And this election was no different. Idaho's electoral votes went to Romney just as I predicted it would. Romney got 54.04% of the votes, Obama got 42.72%. So the margin was relatively quite wide...and normal.

So in the end my vote was worthless. The electoral votes still went to Republicans and even if I was inclined to vote for Obama my vote still wouldn't have meant a thing as there was too wide a gap for my one measley little vote would not have made up the roughly 12% difference.

So my question to those that didn't vote...did you find a similar experiance with your non-vote?

This is also why I don't like the electoral voting system we have. People keep talking about other peoples votes being disenfranchised when talking about voter ID laws yet what they don't see is that there is disenfranchisement going on right now with the system we have in place. Where peoples votes literally mean nothing and have no value.

To those that did vote, knowing what I have told you here...do you think that more people would vote in the elections if our system of voting was based on the popular vote instead of the current system?

To answer that question on a personal note...yes I would vote if I thought that my vote actually meant something. And in a popular voting system my vote WOULD mean something...even if my side lost.
Click to expand...

By your logic no one shold vote as the chances of a single vote making a material difference, even in the swingiest of swing states, is infinitesimally small.
 
Kal'Stang said:
I didn't vote this election. I'm sure most people who have read my posts on the subject know why by now. If you don't :shrug: maybe this post will give you an understanding as to why.

Before the election day came around I had already determined that I would vote for Romney if I was going to vote at all. For the simple fact that he isn't Obama. Not that he was better than Obama or worse than Obama. Indeed I put him in the same exact catagory as Obama. Power Hungry asshole that doesn't actually care about this country.

But in the end I didn't vote. Was a waste of my time. And this election just proved it to me. I live in Idaho. A state that has pretty much always voted Republican. And this election was no different. Idaho's electoral votes went to Romney just as I predicted it would. Romney got 54.04% of the votes, Obama got 42.72%. So the margin was relatively quite wide...and normal.

So in the end my vote was worthless. The electoral votes still went to Republicans and even if I was inclined to vote for Obama my vote still wouldn't have meant a thing as there was too wide a gap for my one measley little vote would not have made up the roughly 12% difference.

So my question to those that didn't vote...did you find a similar experiance with your non-vote?

This is also why I don't like the electoral voting system we have. People keep talking about other peoples votes being disenfranchised when talking about voter ID laws yet what they don't see is that there is disenfranchisement going on right now with the system we have in place. Where peoples votes literally mean nothing and have no value.

To those that did vote, knowing what I have told you here...do you think that more people would vote in the elections if our system of voting was based on the popular vote instead of the current system?

To answer that question on a personal note...yes I would vote if I thought that my vote actually meant something. And in a popular voting system my vote WOULD mean something...even if my side lost.
Click to expand...

Electoral or not, your vote would of still been meaningless.
Romney lost the popular vote to.

I don't vote for those reasons and the fact that the elections are not open and free, with the electorate being stupid to boot.
They are carefully controlled for Dems/Reps.
No thanks, not going to send my tacit approval of corruption.
 
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