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Remind HN: Vote

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Re: Remind HN: Vote

#71

Post by spacemanaki »

ugh wrote: post #34
mbreese wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Option B would be pretty interesting, and might provide a decent incentive for people to vote. However, if people aren't likely to vote anyway, why would they care how much representation they have in Congress? We effectively do have a "none of the above" option: don't select anyone and still cast the ballot. However, it would be better if there was an explicit "No vote" option. The biggest problem with voting not be…

Why don’t you vote on Sundays like I don’t know how many other nations in the World? It doesn’t make any sense.

Because we need enough time to travel to town overnight via horse. We vote in November because the harvest is over. I believe this is correct, I've heard it several places, but here is one citation: http://www.whytuesday.org/answer/

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#72

Post by jswinghammer »

I won't be voting. I am a libertarian so my vote doesn't matter anyway. Plus I feel that not voting sends a stronger signal about how I feel about our system of government. If more people don't vote it will be harder for them to pretend they have a mandate to raise taxes, give money to the banks, and start wars. The government is long beyond saving.

If you vote you take some responsibility for the next war, the next bombing, the next threat to Iran, etc. I want no part in putting more blood on my hands.

I realize most of you think it matters but think about this: when does your one vote ever matter? Has your vote ever decided anything? Have you ever been proud of all the actions of who you voted for?

Instead of voting you are better off creating value in society by doing what many of you do already: create something that improves someone's life.

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#73

Post by jozo »

kelnos wrote: post #49

Remember that you don't vote to make a difference, you vote because it's your obligation to do so. That's crap. Why should I feel obligated to do something that has no affect on anything? (I'm not saying that's definitively the case, but your statement implies that you should vote even if your vote doesn't matter. Why?)

Your vote rarely matter from an individual perspective, but there are still reasons for voting.

1. You vote out of solidarity to the people in a similar situation as you are and to represent that perspective on issues. If you feel strongly about something you would want others with the same perspective to also take part.

2. You vote as a role model for your friends and family and to give them a fair chance to cast their vote. If you don't set a good example for others, e.g. your kids, they're not going to have a fair chance to choose if they want to vote or not.

3. You vote to show support for a system where people have the right to vote, even if it's flawed. It's also out of respect to those who fought and those who continue to fight for the right to vote.

4. You vote to consistently show that you cannot be manipulated to not express your opinion. For instance moving election dates, changing locations of polling stations, saying that you shouldn't vote if you not informed etc.

5. You vote to question your own motives not to vote. If you have the conviction not to vote, then there shouldn't be a reason not to go through the voting process and casting either a blank/invalid vote or choosing not to vote at the absolute last moment. If you can't do this it's more likely that you are abstaining from voting out of convenience, not conviction.

What I find strange is that people generally don't seem to have a problem with offering their opinion outside of elections, not least on the Internet. I guess it has to do with having higher expectations when it comes to elections.

Democracy is based on people stepping up, coming together and making their voice heard. Voting was never meant to reflect the opinions of an individual, but rather the opinions of a movement.

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#74

Post by mahmud »

imeikas wrote: post #39
cletus wrote: post #7

In Australia voting is mandatory. If you're registered to vote and you don't you can get fined. If no one is registered to vote at your address you'll tend to get lots of mail about it (but ultimately, staying off the electoral roll isn't difficult). I used to think this was a bad idea as it forced people to vote who didn't really care. In recent years I've come around to the opposite point of view based pretty much…

In Estonia you can vote from almost anywhere if you have ID-card and working internet connection. It's really convenient and people are using this more and more. For example last elections 15.75% of votes were made using internet. Official statistics can be found from http://vvk.ee/voting-methods-in-estonia/engindex Also there are talks that they want to enable voting with mobile phones (there are already solutions w…

In Estonia you can vote from almost anywhere if you have ID-card and working internet connection.

By any chance, is your most recently elected president called "moot"? Is there or has there ever been a legal motion to rename the country to "4chanistan"?

I think I might know what caused your recent problems, and it's not Russia or the EU.

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#75

Post by jasonkester »

Is there anything particularly worth voting for in this election?

I tend to not bother voting for issues that don't concern me. And frankly, the vast majority of issues that people get all excited about don't bother me one way or another.

I'm happy to pay a little more or a little less tax on various things, see schools built in one area and prisons not built in another. Go nuts with it all, and if it really effects your happiness I'm fine with letting you make little changes to the world around me.

Until you come up with something I find important, I'd prefer not to concern myself with it.

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#76

Post by jasonkester »

jozo wrote: post #73
kelnos wrote: post #49

Remember that you don't vote to make a difference, you vote because it's your obligation to do so. That's crap. Why should I feel obligated to do something that has no affect on anything? (I'm not saying that's definitively the case, but your statement implies that you should vote even if your vote doesn't matter. Why?)

Your vote rarely matter from an individual perspective, but there are still reasons for voting. 1. You vote out of solidarity to the people in a similar situation as you are and to represent that perspective on issues. If you feel strongly about something you would want others with the same perspective to also take part. 2. You vote as a role model for your friends and family and to give them a fair chance to cast th…

1. You vote out of solidarity to the group of people who share your situation, faith, occupation etc. If you felt strongly about something you would want others who agreed to also take part.

Please don't do that. If you're going to vote, do it about things you care about after having considered all sides, and without first checking whether it's the way everybody around you is voting.

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#77

Post by jasonlotito »

mkr-hn wrote: post #46
epo wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lack of imagination is another symptom of apathy. Doing nothing will not change the system, but it will perpetuate it.

How will voting change the system if no candidate is willing to change it? And just to be clear, I didn't say I'm not voting or that I think the system is broken. I'm asking you to explain your position.

> How will voting change the system if no candidate is willing to change it?

You make the assumption enough people want to change it. They don't. At least, not yet. Candidates aren't some otherworldly beast, they are citizens. If people really wanted to enact change, they could.

You can't make a change alone. If enough people want to make the change, they can vote to make it happen. It's a really simple concept.

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#79

Post by mkr-hn »

tjr wrote: post #66
mkr-hn wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't vote and have a good reason for it, you have every right to complain.

I would dare say that most people in the US who don't vote do not have good reasons for not doing so.

But then to say people who don't vote don't get to complain, someone has to decide what constitutes a good reason.

Re: Remind HN: Vote

#80

Post by mkr-hn »

jasonlotito wrote: post #77
mkr-hn wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How will voting change the system if no candidate is willing to change it? And just to be clear, I didn't say I'm not voting or that I think the system is broken. I'm asking you to explain your position.

> How will voting change the system if no candidate is willing to change it? You make the assumption enough people want to change it. They don't. At least, not yet. Candidates aren't some otherworldly beast, they are citizens. If people really wanted to enact change, they could. You can't make a change alone. If enough people want to make the change, they can vote to make it happen. It's a really simple concept.

I'm not making that assumption. I think most people are fine with the system. The only thing we're lacking in is voter education (both fundamentally and on issues). Fix that, and the system works perfectly.

The populace is so poorly educated that researching candidates and issues is an enormous strain on them, and most people can't make themselves do it. Asking someone who got a poor education to read through a bill or look through a voting record is asking a lot.

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