unRock the Vote.

[HR-Trevor]

I'm going to go on a rant about politics. If you generally have an interest in politics, this rant might interest you to read. If you don't, skip right on to the next post, because this one will be painful to you. <g> This is a completely non-partisan rant, and if anyone would like to reply, please keep it non-partisan so the message isn't diluted.

Every day we have people out there pushing to get people who currently don't vote, to go out there and vote. You see it all over the internet, "No matter who you vote for, just get out there and vote!". Well, I'm making a case to not get out there and vote, and to not try to persuade people to vote.

It's pretty simple, really. If you don't have any interest in voting, you very likely aren't going to be doing any research or deep thought on who is the best candidate. So many of these people are going to vote based on completely insignificant things like what they heard about the candidate from a friend, what the candidate looks like or how they talk (not the words, the manner), or what some celebrity thinks of a candidate.

If you're someone who responsibly researches the stances and histories of each candidate, what's this do to your vote? Makes it completely null and void. It's rather ironic that people are encouraged to go out and vote because, "their vote matters", yet doing so will so often make the votes of others not matter.

I know some of these people will be encouraged to not only go out and vote, but vote with knowledge. Some will do that. But most of them won't.

Now to further hit on this issue, we also have the problem of voter fraud. We have people being paid per voter registration form they get filled out and signed. We have people forging signatures, talking people into signing forms they think are just petitions, and so on. We already have people all over Florida, for example, contesting the votes, and the "big vote day" is over a week away yet. Is getting people who don't vote and probably are ill informed on the candidates to go vote worth it? Does it really help our country?

I don't think so. I think it's become almost a trendy stance or catch phrase that has no real meaning. "Rock the Vote!", "Go Vote!". I know some people think their vote doesn't matter. If you consider yourself well informed on the candidates and issues (hey by the way, read up on the various amendments your state will hold votes for on Nov. 2nd), please do go out and vote, no matter how much I talk about votes not mattering because of this issue, I'm still going to go vote, because I know who I think is best and it's my right to put one point down on the board for that person. But people who don't have knowledge of the candidates really shouldn't be voting. They'll just do more harm than good. If you're one of these people, the best thing would be to get informed. But if you don't want to do that, the next best thing would be to not vote at all.

I'll be voting 11/2, but I won't be wearing my little "I Voted!" sticker.

There, I said it.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy

[the blue fairy]

I fully agree with Trevor about this. Chastise me for not being well informed but dont for me not going and playing a guessing game with the leadership of our country.

I will be the first to admit I dont know a damn thing about politics, and I wouldnt have a clue as to what is really best for our country. I take a leap a faith that those who do have the mentality for these types of things will make a vote for the greater good of the country.

Still
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Mellie Amresh says, "Send someone with a bigger dick."

A set of breast implants fall from the sky with a soft plop.

Caretaker Jornnoj Vunn looks up at the sky.

A passing guard suddenly shits himself.

[Dante]

I'm partially voting. As I just moved here to Florida, I have absolutely no idea who these people are that are running for the various offices. I will likely be doing a write in on those for various gay porn stars or something. But on the ammendments (and the President, of course) I WILL be voting on, as I don't need to judge someone's platform, only read up on them and decide for myself.
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Help! Help! I'm being oppressed!

[HR-Trevor]

Dante, there are some amendments you may want to read up on.

http://www.state.fl.us/edr/conferences/constitutionalimpact/citizensinitiative.htm

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/initiatives/proposedConstAmend.shtml
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy

[Tylen]

I sleep better at night knowing that my vote is going to cancel out William's.

But on a more serious note, I totally disagree with this (aside from the voter fraud part). It's a shame more people aren't interested enough to find really inform themselves, but no one is really being made better off by having them not vote at all.

No one can (legally and purposefully) make your vote "not matter." It's almost every citizen's unqualified right to vote, and besides what level of knowledge would make a person worthy in your eyes of voting?

I'd come up with something more coherent, but it is 5:40am. Maybe after I wake up.
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** The phrase "break a leg" just wasn't ambitious enough for Mellie Knight. [8:31 pm]
** Mellie Knight was soundly defeated by Aesal Anari-Idia in the Zgedhi Gkenrzeg Rav! [8:31 pm]

[soundless]

[winddancer]

If actually being well-informed on the facts without seeing it through campaign propaganda is a pre-requisite to vote, I think less than 1% of the population will be able to vote. I'm cynical about people that way.

I'm sorry, but there are thousands of people out there already voting because it's a tradition for them to vote a certain way. Why should encouraging other equally as oblivious voters to vote be any different?

In short, I agree with Tylen's statements.

[HR-Trevor]

[Tylen]

[soundless]

[Brokyn]

Since we've got a little tangent setup for the electoral college, I guess I'll go ahead and lay down a question: why do supporters of the EC cite that larger-population states would dominate elections if it were not in place? While California might get a little more attention than, say, Rhode Island, isn't that the case right now?

I've seen someone say that the EC's votes are weighed more in favor for the smaller-population states. I can't remember exact figures, but the EC votes for California represent somewhere around 600,000 people, whereas the EC votes for Colorado represent somewhere around 500,000 people. But while Colorado's votes are worth more per capita, California still has significantly more votes (55 > 9).

I kind of think the EC should stay in place, though modified. If more states take the stance of dividing their votes by a percentage based on the popular vote, it should be a little more fair. National popular vote would be better in the long run, but it's too much to ask for all at once. Society doesn't like change, afterall.

--William
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Haelrahv Wiki!
++Brown Nosing Points

[SolitaryTurnip]

How about Communism? Eh? Sounds like a good idea to me!

[Tylen]

I'm not a political scientist (or sociologist or psychologist or whatever applies here). But telling people they shouldn't vote if they're uninformed isn't going to make them become informed. It may possibly get them not to vote, which doesn't accomplish anything if (as I'm assuming) your real preference is to get them to inform themselves. Or very possibly they'll just go exercise their right to spite you. But getting people interested in voting is the right first step to getting them interested in learning what/who they're voting for.

I am a mathematician. I'm not worried at all that some uninformed Kerry voter canceled out my vote. He really just canceled some uninformed Bush voter. No, I'm not saying there's an equal number of each. But statistically they're going to be divided in about the same proportions as the local population so they're just not likely to affect the outcome.
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** The phrase "break a leg" just wasn't ambitious enough for Mellie Knight. [8:31 pm]
** Mellie Knight was soundly defeated by Aesal Anari-Idia in the Zgedhi Gkenrzeg Rav! [8:31 pm]

[soundless]

[Tylen]