Ask HN: Do you vote? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#31

Post by miguelrochefort » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 5:40 PM UTC

cweagans wrote: post #18

Yes. If I don't vote, I have no right to bitch about whatever scumbag takes over a given office for the next term. Also, I might be naive enough to think that if I vote despite my cynicism and outspokenness against the shit politicians pull, maybe - just maybe - I might inspire just one other person to vote. And if I manage to do that, maybe they'll inspire someone else and eventually people will start engaging with…

> Yes. If I don't vote, I have no right to bitch about whatever scumbag takes over a given office for the next term.

That's actually the opposite.

By voting, you agree to the rules of the system. If you truly believe in democracy, then you should be more than happy to see the one getting the most votes win the elections. That's pretty much how the thing works.

Any person who votes and then complains about the results is an hypocrite.

"Bitching about whatever scumbag takes over a given office for the next term" is pretty much like complaining about losing the lottery. It's not very reasonable.

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#32

Post by MalcolmDiggs » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 5:42 PM UTC

Yes, but I rarely get any pleasure from it. If I want to feel like an active participant in a democracy it typically takes a bit more than that.

Going to city council meetings, canvassing for candidates, collecting signatures for propositions, etc...those all feel a bit more impactful than voting...but I feel like a hypocrite doing any of those things if I myself don't actually vote...so I vote too.

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#33

Post by miguelrochefort » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 5:54 PM UTC

No.

I refuse to support a system that legitimates the voice of the majority. There is little to no correlation between what the majority has been led to believe is right, and what is actually right.

That said, I could see myself voting for a party that (intentionally or not) would reveal the ridicule of democracy, a party that undisputedly wouldn't be fit to rule the country.

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#34

Post by sml786 » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 7:13 PM UTC

yes i do vote

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#35

Post by proveanegative » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 9:12 PM UTC

I believe that democracy does not scale beyond roughly several hundred voters of roughly equal expertise and ability. I decide whether or not to vote accordingly, which means saying no to local and national elections.

That said, I vote on Hacker News stories. Could HN be an example of a moderated democracy (constitutional monarchy?) working well on a larger scale?

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#36

Post by dllthomas » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 9:22 PM UTC

Subquestion, for those in the US who show up at the polling place on election day: Do you educate yourself about local positions and vote there as well (or only?)? Or do you limit yourself to voting for those on the national stage (who, of course, get more press)?

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#37

Post by dllthomas » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 9:26 PM UTC

greenyoda wrote: post #8

cauterized wrote: post #3

Yes. If I didn't vote, what incentive whatsoever would my representatives have to act in my interest? I may not have a statistically significant impact on the outcome, but neither do any of the other tens of millions of people who vote. Even if an individual vote isn't statistically significant, the aggregate of them is, and because non-voters are self-selecting we can't count on those who vote enthusiastically to be…

"Living in a part of the US that skews VERY heavily towards one party, I especially vote in primary elections, which are where it's actually determined which congresscritter or senator we'll be sending to Washington or the state capital." This is exactly the case in NYC, which is heavily Democratic: the winner of the Democratic primary is the most likely winner of the general election (where they sometimes even run u…

You mean, a few hundred people's votes really make a difference in this situation.

Voting has a bit of a free-rider problem. To a first approximation, one vote never makes a difference; but an attitude that voting doesn't make a difference (especially when unevenly distributed) definitely makes a difference.

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#38

Post by J_Darnley » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 10:49 PM UTC

No. Not registered here. That's probably partly why I am now represented by a separatist party both locally, "stately", and federally.

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#39

Post by theoldguy » Sat, Oct 10, 2015, 10:54 PM UTC

Yes, Ivote. Usually for the candidate of the party which, in general, believes as I do. If I don't vote, I am conceeding control to persons that believe the opposite of what I believe. All candidates have weak points, but some are deffently opposed to my main positions and toughts. If the current polls prove to be correct, the up coming election for President will have two poor major candidates, but the party platforms will be very different. I can support the one.

Re: Ask HN: Do you vote?

#40

Post by rajacombinator » Sun, Oct 11, 2015, 12:24 AM UTC

I used to but after waking up I made a principled decision to abstain from what is just another tax on my time. (Best case: trading time for the illusion of voice.) I would consider voting for a moral statement candidate like Ron Paul but sadly guys like that seem to be a once-in-200-years phenomenon.