Voter Apathy: Why I Don't Vote
Because Voting is Pointless, That's Why
I'm not alone. Well, actually I may be alone in terms of laziness, but not in terms of voter apathy. In 2004, only 55.3% of the voting population turned out to vote for federal elections, and that was up about 18% from 2002. The spike is probably because it was a presidential election, and deemed more important.
It's very easy to understand why voters feel apathetic. Our (actually your) votes seem to be almost pointless, unless you happen to live in a swing state. According to television, most states fall under a predetermined color coding of either red or blue, depending on whether or not you're a Republican or a Democrat. Why should one go out and and vote when your state's votes seem to be predetermined and there are only two parties to choose from, neither of which you may agree with.
Right now, there are a few people reading this article that agree fully with me, and are hoping I touch on the idea of civil disobedience. They're probably yelling at their monitor right now, something to the effect of: "Right on, yeah! Not voting is our way of saying that we don't recognize your totalitarian regime. If enough people don't vote, the government has no legitimate claim that it upholds the will of the people! Also, Bush is a weasel!"
Stop yelling at your monitor, I don't agree with you. Quite frankly, I wouldn't choose to live anywhere else on earth, or under any other form of government. While I turn my nose up a bit at the idea we truly live in a "free" country, the stability that the good ol' US of A offers is too good to pass up. If I need a real job, I can generally go out and find one (It may be a sucky job, but it's there). I don't often worry about how I'm going to eat this week. I can go to the movies. All in all, a pretty kick-ass setup for yours truly. My needs don't stretch much beyond those things.
By now, a few more people are going to shout things like: "If you don't vote, you can't complain!" and "If you don't exercise your rights, one day they may be taken away!"
Well, I beg to differ. I not only CAN complain, but DO complain on a regular basis. Part of living in this great country is the right to bitch about whatever I want, whenever I want, without real justification. I'm pretty sure it's written right into one of the amendments, or commandments or something.
Also, one of the rights I choose to exercise is the right to not have to vote if I don't want to. I certainly don't want that right taken away, so I'll exercise it often. Till the day I die if need be.
The real reason I don't vote, and the reason that I think many others don't vote, is that we're all too content. Regardless of who's president, I can always buy cigarettes, wine and McDonalds. Not unlike my dog, if I'm well fed I have little incentive to get up off the couch. Find a way to end people's sense of well-being, and you'll fix the problem of voter apathy.
Published by Captain X
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13 Comments
Post a CommentThanks for the good read,it really made me think. I personally don't care what happens to this country, so I never plan on voting. I've had countless people tell me that I shouldn't think this way, but I still do. Political parties aren't helping this country and people vote for a party because they were raised that way. When we get rid of parties, maybe I will care more.
I heard that the voting machines were re-programmed to tabulate a planned preferred winner. After the elections the voting machines were tested and found to have been compromised.
And then there is 911. I heard that the buildings were brought down intentionally by our own government employees. Why isn't anybody talking about our lost freedoms and prosecuting these murderer's?
Voting? For what?
If you do vote, can you be sure that your vote is being counted correctly?
I am posting to enlist your help in spreading the word about Veek the Vote 2006 (www.veekthevote.com), a project that enables people to use the cameras in their mobile phones to express themselves and document Election Day in near real-time.
Veek The Vote represents something wholly new in the history of election coverage. Anyone with a mobile phone equipped with a camera - there are over 70 million of them in the U.S. - can send a photo or video to vote@veeker.com. No registration is requried. No special software is needed.
Fifteen to sixty seconds after a photo or video is sent, it will appear in a embedded player at veekthevote.com. This player, in turn, can be taken by anyone and embedded anywhere on the web: on blogs, MySpace pages, etc. Veek the Vote generates a completely open mobile video communication network, enabling complete democratization of election coverage. We take in video fro
Sure you can complain if you don't vote. The biggest complainers are generally those who sit around being 'content' and not doing anything about anything. You're wrong about those two choices, though. Have you not heard about independent candidates? Study up. Some of them have great things to say but instead of those people not wanting one of the two main choices looking for something else, they sit on their thumbs not realizing there is another choice. Yes, you can complain if you don't vote, but who cares what you think if you don't?
Well, while I don't agree with your choice - it is *your* choice to make. As for the folks that will decry "if you don't vote, you can't complain" - personally, I find that to be a weak thought. Whether an individual votes or not, people do have opinions - and the right to voice said opinions.
This article is a let down. I was expecting something profund Cap - what's up wit dat? While I understand what you are saying about feeling as if your vote doesn't count. Why not become active in promoting a system that actually makes everyone feel as if their votes truly do count - public financing of elections, developing a competitive third party, mobilizing other young people to have their voice heard. Your silence perpetuates a system which makes people feel ineffectual in bringing change.
Unlike the other biased commenters, I enjoyed this piece. I happen to vote in all elections and primaries, which makes me the complete opposite of you, but I can empathize with your sentiment. And you didn't even get into the negative campaign advertisements! I imagine your feelings will change over the years though. Some issue will end up affecting you enough to go vote. Don't forget, we vote for more than just the President. Wait until you have a big house, you'll want to vote no to all those millage tax increases!
Not voting doesn't register as a protest, it doesn't tell the government that you don't approve, it just tells them that they can continue to do whatever they want to do - and actually, they like the idea that you don't vote. If one Election Day, all the non-voters turned out to vote, it would scare the hell out of all politicians - even the ones who got elected. Suddenly they would be dealing with a world with unfamiliar people in it, people without party allegiances who just might vote for an Independent! As long as voter turnouts are pathetic, nothing will ever change. In a way, this keeps us forever in junior high school, letting the one bully control things while everyone else looks the other way.
I encourage you to read my article "Why You Shouldn't Avoid Jury Duty". I believe that voting and exercising your other rights and duties does make a difference. Even the smallest change is good. If no one voted and no one participated than we would be under a self-induced dictatorship. I personally don't want to be run by a super power so I try to make my voice heard. If you do nothing, you are nothing, and you might as well not exist at all. Change is slow, but if we all work to improve our society then we will get somewhere. If women didn't fight for their rights they would have none. If African Americans didn't fight for the end of segregation, it wouldn't have happened. To say that we can't bring about change or that the change is worth less than the time taken to vote, is foolish and lazy. Don't complain about what you won't try to change. There is wishing, which non-voters do, and they is hope, which voters do.
For a long time, I felt that voting was choosing who got to rape you.
The last three administrations have convinced me that actually, there is something to picking your rapist - at least in the '90's I got dinner and flowers before having to put out. The current situation is like being in prison, always having to pick up the soap...