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Do you actually believe YOUR vote for POTUS matters?

Do you actually believe YOUR vote for POTUS matters?

  • Damn right it does.

    Votes: 19 46.3%

  • Nope. Not at all.

    Votes: 11 26.8%

  • Only if the race is REALLY REALLY close.

    Votes: 4 9.8%

  • Oh HELL no.

    Votes: 3 7.3%

  • only if the vote is for a third party - to send a message

    Votes: 1 2.4%

  • I'm not voting - so of course it doesn't matter

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • other - please explain

    Votes: 6 14.6%
  • Total voters
    41
Dragonfly

Dragonfly

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Who actually elects the POTUS?

Private citizens? (popular vote)
Electoral College?
Combination of the two?

Something else?

Do you honestly and truly believe YOUR vote (for POTUS) matters?

Do you believe if you don't vote for POTUS the outcome will be different?

Do you believe your vote changes anything?
 
Dragonfly said:
Who actually elects the POTUS?

Private citizens? (popular vote)
Electoral College?
Combination of the two?

Something else?

Do you honestly and truly believe YOUR vote (for POTUS) matters?

Do you believe if you don't vote for POTUS the outcome will be different?

Do you believe your vote changes anything?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure my vote won't change much of anything.
 
Dragonfly said:
Who actually elects the POTUS?

Private citizens? (popular vote)
Electoral College?
Combination of the two?

Something else?

Do you honestly and truly believe YOUR vote (for POTUS) matters?

Do you believe if you don't vote for POTUS the outcome will be different?

Do you believe your vote changes anything?
Click to expand...

Does "one" vote count? Probably not. How about 10, 100, 10,000, 1 million, 100 million, 300 million? It all depends on how close the race is and what the rules are with the state electoral college. There are some states where the votes have to go according to popular vote and other states don't.

Overall I would say the vote doesn't count simply because most states don't have rules that the electoral college has to follow the popular votes or the states have a straight win all rule.

However, can you imagine an election where the losing candidate receives 80% of the popular vote but loses the electoral college? The country would be in an outrage.
 
Dragonfly said:
Who actually elects the POTUS?

Private citizens? (popular vote)
Electoral College?
Combination of the two?

Something else?

Do you honestly and truly believe YOUR vote (for POTUS) matters?

Do you believe if you don't vote for POTUS the outcome will be different?

Do you believe your vote changes anything?
Click to expand...

I'm not a big believer in Electronic Polling veracity. I'll vote anyway, but not confidentally.
 
U. S. Electoral College: Frequently Asked Questions

The District of Columbia and 48 states have a winner-takes-all rule for the Electoral College. In these States, whichever candidate receives a majority of the popular vote, or a plurality of the popular vote (less than 50 percent but more than any other candidate), takes all of the state’s Electoral votes.

Only two states, Nebraska and Maine, do not follow the winner-takes-all rule. In those states, there could be a split of Electoral votes among candidates through the state’s system for proportional allocation of votes.
Click to expand...
 
I live in Florida so it really does count. If I lived in Alabama I'd still vote but it wouldn't matter.
 
Dragonfly said:
Who actually elects the POTUS?

Private citizens? (popular vote)
Electoral College?
Combination of the two?

Something else?

Do you honestly and truly believe YOUR vote (for POTUS) matters?

Do you believe if you don't vote for POTUS the outcome will be different?

Do you believe your vote changes anything?
Click to expand...

Sure, my vote matters. It's just a matter of personal opinion whether or not the population of your state is a meaningful number to you when couched against your vote.
 
To the country? No.

To Me? Yes.
 
Hell no.
 
As a side note, certain states, California being one, have agreed that the winner of the popular vote is awarded that states entire batch of electoral votes, regardless of the vote tally in the state itself.

Do I think California would honor that if it gave Trump a win over Hillary? Not a chance in hell. But it's there in theory, anyway.

So yes, your vote counts if states honor their promises. Which they won't. So we are back to the electoral college as it stands. It's important that it remain.

http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/states
 
Dragonfly said:
To who?

How?
Click to expand...

It matters to who my state goes to. One in x million people may not seem statistically significant depending on your point of view, but the vote is still there.
 
Dragonfly said:
Who actually elects the POTUS?

Private citizens? (popular vote)
Electoral College?
Combination of the two?

Something else?

Do you honestly and truly believe YOUR vote (for POTUS) matters?

Do you believe if you don't vote for POTUS the outcome will be different?

Do you believe your vote changes anything?
Click to expand...

It's a conundrum.
 
Dragonfly said:
What might happen if you don't vote? What might change?
Click to expand...

Well if they're were a few more like me GWB would never have happened. Our country and the world would be so much better for it; We came within a few hundred vote here in Florida of making the world a better place.
 
I believe that "your" vote might not matter.

I'm an Independent in Florida... and if I have to explain that one to you, then your opinion might also not matter.
 
It matters just as much or as little as any other vote.
 
shrubnose said:
It matters just as much or as little as any other vote.
Click to expand...

No. Your vote for your senator or congressman/woman is a direct vote for that person.
Same with all other state level elections.

Your personal vote for POTUS does not elect the POTUS.

It may, or may not have an effect on the Electoral College outcome.
But those Electoral College votes are happening regardless of your vote.

Since the first U.S. presidential election in 1788, the Electoral College system has delivered “the people’s choice” in 51 of 55 contests, but on four occasions the Electoral College gave controversial results. Three of these elections, 1876, 1888, and 2000, produced a president and vice president who won a majority of the electoral vote but fewer popular votes than their principal opponents
Click to expand...

When the Electoral Vote and the Popular Vote Differ | IIP Digital
 
If I lived in a swing state, I would probably have voted for "damn right." Given that I live in a solid red district in a solid red state, my vote could not be more worthless, asides from senator elections.
 
Dragonfly said:
I honestly don't think anybody is going to "win" in this election.

I'm speaking strictly in terms of the voters themselves here.
Click to expand...

Then look at it as a gambler does - if you must play and you know you're going to lose, then you try to lose as little as possible.
 
Glen Contrarian said:
Then look at it as a gambler does - if you must play and you know you're going to lose, then you try to lose as little as possible.
Click to expand...

As I said - my state's almost a dead-nuts lock for Hillary. Popular and Electoral.

What I do doesn't matter. I won't vote Donald. I won't vote Hillary. That much is for sure.
 
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