How many of you DO NOT vote?

[1911 DeadHead]

As the title says, who here does not vote? And why?

I'm gonna say it out right, I do not vote. And my reasoning is this:

I simply feel that I am not educated enough on all the issues that go on. I feel there is so much bashing going on it is childish. Don't you hate those commercials that bash a candidate so badly,then at the end it says, "vote for so and so" without giving any reason why. I cant help but laugh. I know gonna catch a bunch of crap for being a non voter and ppl will berate me. Maybe someday I may be able to have enough knowledge to make the right decision, or maybe never. In the end, I think they are all crooks. Let the flaming begin.

 

[spearheadersarge]

Pick a camp and get to the polls! You gotta decide who can spend your money better? Good ole Uncle Sam and his over reaching will for the good of the American people; or you yourself through a consious decision to support a worthwhile, to you, cause. The govt only steals and prints money. They don't earn it. They don't create wealth, they play winners and losers with our money by confiscating it. Get in the game man! Start reading the newspaper or watch cspan and how Congress works or the issues of the day. It's never too late!

 

[KG1]

As the title says, who here does not vote? And why?

I'm gonna say it out right, I do not vote. And my reasoning is this:

I simply feel that I am not educated enough on all the issues that go on. I feel there is so much bashing going on it is childish. Don't you hate those commercials that bash a candidate so badly,then at the end it says, "vote for so and so" without giving any reason why. I cant help but laugh. I know gonna catch a bunch of crap for being a non voter and ppl will berate me. Maybe someday I may be able to have enough knowledge to make the right decision, or maybe never. In the end, I think they are all crooks. Let the flaming begin.

Not gonna flame. I would much rather prefer someone waited and tried to get more informed before voting. There are to many ill informed voters out there as it is.

With that being said there are also many voters who are informed and don't like what they see and decide not to vote.

 

[spearheadersarge]

I hate having those converstions with people who don't care enough to get involved. They sit back and whine about stuff and when you ask who they voted for they tell you casually like they don't want to be involved enough to vote. I tell them they can't complain if they didn't vote and to shut the heck up!

 

[rockhopper46038]

First step is to figure out what is important to you.

For some, a government handout is important to them. They will vote accordingly. For others, environmental issues are the biggest deal to them. Or the 2nd Amendment. Point is, you're going to have to figure out what issues you don't feel you can compromise on (and frankly, as you learn more, these may change until you have developed a very firm and educated grasp of your "no-compromise" issues), and what issues you may feel strongly about, but won't cause you to automatically discard a possible candidate that may otherwise be quite in synch with your view of what you would like to have accomplished. And I will be one of those who will flame you until you do, because good men gave their lives for your right to vote and being too lazy to learn the issues and form a knowledgeable, defendable opinion is not an excuse.

 

[NavyVet]

If I believed everything I saw on TV, I wouldn't want to vote either....

Take the time to do some real research on voting records. That is the only way to tell how they are going to vote on the causes you care about. Most politicians will tell you what they think you want to hear. VOTES are what count!!!

Using other reasons to not vote is simply an unwillingness to make the effort needed to decide. Make the effort... Less than 30% of the population actually elect our leaders because of voter apathy.

---NavyVet (Someone who has defended your right to vote... Don't waste it!)

 

[Sylvain]

I do not vote in the US, because im not a US citizen, but I still vote in my country.
I still follow the US elections even if I cant vote, maybe in a few years I would get that right to vote.
I think of it more like a duty than a right.

I think every American should vote.When you see that so many people in other countries wish they could vote and dont have that right, you just cannot decide not to vote.
Of course you still have the right not to vote, but just like our guns rights, if we dont use them we might lose them.

 

[spearheadersarge]

First step is to figure out what is important to you.

For some, a government handout is important to them. They will vote accordingly. For others, environmental issues are the biggest deal to them. Or the 2nd Amendment. Point is, you're going to have to figure out what issues you don't feel you can compromise on (and frankly, as you learn more, these may change until you have developed a very firm and educated grasp of your "no-compromise" issues), and what issues you may feel strongly about, but won't cause you to automatically discard a possible candidate that may otherwise be quite in synch with your view of what you would like to have accomplished. And I will be one of those who will flame you until you do, because good men gave their lives for your right to vote and being too lazy to learn the issues and form a knowledgeable, defendable opinion is not an excuse.

Great advice! You have nailed it down for everyone! It is all too easy to settle in with whatever political affiliation your parents had from eons ago. Each individual must use due diligence and find their own direction to go. And you are also right, to some a govt handout is the ultimate destination. the ability to vote is taken for granted, for sure!

 

[1911 DeadHead]

I for sure want to have a say in things, but because I didnt vote I dont have constitutional rights to speech (complain or object)? That just seems ludicrous. I appreciate what our servicemen do for this country, but how of them many are just as confused as I am? I don't even know what to declare myself, liberalist, conservative, socialist, etc. why does everything have to be so one sided? I believe in the Constitution, I believe in the Declaration of Independence, and I fear everyday our rights are being infringed upon more and more. I really do wish for peace on earth, but I'm a realist and know that will never happen. I don't even want to bring children into this world.

PS-this is a toilet post.

 

[Wwwildthing]

I've sat back and watched other people vote for years... none of you ever got it right.

Just saying.

 

[ATM]

I for sure want to have a say in things, but because I didnt vote I dont have constitutional rights to speech (complain or object)? That just seems ludicrous...

Agreed. It's a weak but common argument.

The right to vote implies the right to abstain from voting.

My voice has far more power to impact than my individual vote does.

I encourage people to become informed and exercise their vote, but I just voted for the first time 4 years ago.

I defended the right long before I ever exercised it myself.

 

[rockhopper46038]

I don't even know what to declare myself, liberalist, conservative, socialist, etc.

PS-this is a toilet post.

TMI!

You don't have to declare yourself anything. If you feel you need a label there are plenty of online "ideology determination" quizzes available; some aren't even too bad. But it's far more important that you explore your views more fully than you seem to have done so.

If you turn out to be a Socialist, please eat your gun. Maybe that's purple.

 

[spearheadersarge]

No body said you didn't have rights! You gotta decide what is important for you. I just hate people who complain about politics but don't vote. You sound like a lost soul who doesn't really know what they want. Here's some advice, conservatives/repubs know the mantra - smaller less expensive govt, pro business, less taxes, pro military. Dems/libs want social justice, welfare, punitive sanctions on business, environmental regs, higher taxes to dole out to their base and friends, and anti military, pro gay and abortion. You sound like somebody who just woke up from the Occupy (pick a city) movement who sobered up and realized someone took your tent while you were passed out! I lean to the right. You sound like a Lib for sure!

 

[1911 DeadHead]

I appreciate all of your replies. I am lost and I can imagine alot of ppl are, and there are many that won't admit it. You would have to be a political guru to be certain of where the heck you are. Who really knows all the facts? I could watch cspan and msnbc and read the paper til my eyes bleed. Then maybe I would wanna eat my gun.(purple)

 

[acersbull]

Know what you stand for and go with the candidate that mirrors what you believe in. People have lost their lives and continue to for this right. We are blessed to have the opportunity to vote in this great country. Even though it seems D.C. is completely out of touch with average people, the only way of changing that is by VOTING!

 

[rockhopper46038]

This is by no means definitive, or perfect, but try this:

The Political Compass - Test

 

[Sylvain]

I've sat back and watched other people vote for years... none of you ever got it right.

Just saying.

That's quite easy to say that other people didn't do the right choice when you dont vote yourself.
I believe everybody is trying to make the right choice, it's not always clear and you rarely have one perfect candidate.
You usually pick the less worse one but at least you are trying to change things by voting.
If you didn't vote against a candidate and sat back without doing anything then you cannot say that other people picked the wrong one.
YOU also picked the wrong one by doing so and by not voting for the right one.

 

[1911 DeadHead]

This is by no means definitive, or perfect, but try this:

The Political Compass - Test

According to this, I'm Gandhi.

 

[MrYesterday]

I never use to vote until my 2nd deployment to Iraq. I realized that if more people with the same views as I had HAD voted, we wouldn't be in that God forsaken place, losing the lives, limbs, and minds of all of my brave brothers and sisters. How am I going to gripe about the things going on in the country if I'm putting my opinion in as well? It would be hypocritical. That's just my .02
I love my country, but it's going to s*** because the people that would turn the country around aren't getting a fair shot, because too many of us are complacent.

 

[Lead Head]

You have the right NOT to vote. It's as simple as that. But, since you admit that you lack education or facts on the matters at hand, I say: SELF EDUCATE.

If you question something, start asking questions or do some research but don't expect the answers to just fall in your lap. Our country is in deep, deep trouble because at some point, all (or most) of us were too busy trying to make a living, raising a family, etc. AND we trusted the politicians AND big business, who has those said politicians in their back pocket. (No surprise to anyone unless you just crawled out from under a rock).

Now we have to begin the fixing process and there is sooooooo much damage that if we all don't do SOMETHING, we will end up with NOTHING.

And yes, they ARE crooks, because we allowed them to become such a thing. If you understand history and our (I said OUR) US Constitution, then we failed to hold them accountable.

It's a real ***** to have to admit that "We the People" will eventually have to do something if things gets worse. I'm NOT prescribing violence either. Far from it.

btw: Duty, my friends, will be that *****.

We have better options right now, one of them is voting and becoming aware so we can regain prosperity, liberty and maybe a little peace along the way. If not for us, then for our children.

So, you can (some in power want this) or you can begin the waking process but be forewarned, once you wake up, you can't go back.

You might not even be able to go back to sleep.