Why should you vote?

Undesired Walrus

Penultimate Amazing
Undesired Walrus
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
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With the election in the UK coming up, I come across more and more people who state that they are not going to vote, that there isn't much point, that 'nothing will change'. I find this deeply depressing, and more than a little annoying. However, I can't really give back a good response. I find the classic: 'people died for the right to vote' not all that compelling when you consider that people die for many things we take for granted. If I choose not to eat for a few days, you are unlikely to tell me 'people die for food' all around the world. So please give me- oh jref brains- a good argument as to why joe bloggs from the street should vote.
 
Well, deciding to vote needs another part of the equation - an understanding of who you can vote for. I have decided to set aside my usual loathing of politics and to consider voting this time but I can't really identify anyone that I would feel it appropriate to spend my vote on.
So - perhaps such a discussion should incorporate who stands for what?
 
I dislike people who say they don't vote to "send a message" or some crap rationalization. If you aren't adult enough to match your expectations to the real world and prefer to let go of the little power you actually do have, be honest.

The old "one vote doesn't make a difference" camp just floors me, though.

We just got a health care overhaul, and as the forum management can attest it is certainly something changing.
 
For the first time in a UK election, I have a vote is a constituency that isn't a foregone conclusion. Feels good!

I vote in rather the same way as I sing in the choir. No one vote (or voice) makes the difference, but at the same time nobody else's vote (or voice) is more important than mine. Only by taking part does the music happen.

However - Tories, LibDems, Labour voters, please, please feel free to believe that your votes don't matter and there's no point. That would make me very very happy.... :D

Rolfe.
 
Undesired Walrus said:
With the election in the UK coming up, I come across more and more people who state that they are not going to vote, that there isn't much point, that 'nothing will change'. I find this deeply depressing, and more than a little annoying. However, I can't really give back a good response. I find the classic: 'people died for the right to vote' not all that compelling when you consider that people die for many things we take for granted. If I choose not to eat for a few days, you are unlikely to tell me 'people die for food' all around the world. So please give me- oh jref brains- a good argument as to why joe bloggs from the street should vote.
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For me, if someone doesn't know enough about the candidates or the issues, I would prefer they didn't vote. The whole "everyone should vote" mentality hinges on the assumption that they would vote intelligently, or vote the way I would (which is obviously the same thing :D). So, if that type of person does not vote, my vote counts that much more in getting the government to do what I want. Yay for democracy!

(Basically, what Rolfe said.)
 
Rolfe said:
I vote in rather the same way as I sing in the choir. No one vote (or voice) makes the difference, but at the same time nobody else's vote (or voice) is more important than mine. Only by taking part does the music happen.
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Well said.

I like to play a little mental game where I figure there's almost like a quantum indeterminacy in many people's behavior. I figure if I get lazy and don't vote, it could correspond in a national election to maybe 250,000 other voters doing the same thing. So if I do vote, even though it really seems like my one vote can't possibly matter, it could go the same way as those other 250,000 people. (NB: I don't mean this literally! I'm under no delusions that my behavior somehow affects 250,000 other voters.)
 
I agree, if you don't understand the issues, or don't like the choices, why should you vote?

I actually agree that voting may not make much difference. So many of the big policies are driven by the ideologies of the party in control. A politician will not veer from them for fear of losing their constituency. If corn subsidies is big with party X in your state, expect Senator Y of party X to vote for them not matter what.

You make differences in other ways - at a national level mainly by entering into the debate - by swaying opinions. But even there I'm of the (admittedly unsupported) opinion that things are going to fall out how they are going to fall out; it's the rare person that can swing a country.

Look at, say, gay rights. Yes, it's politicians that are going to be eventually voting to enhance these rights. But they will only be doing it as public opinion changes - eventually it will be an outrageous thought to keep a gay couple from marrying, and the holdouts will be swayed. But the change will come from the change in public opinion, not from the courageous actions of the politicians.

Against that we have counterexamples, especially when we have great leadership, but the general flow of things is from public opinion to policies, not the other way around.
 
Rolfe said:
For the first time in a UK election, I have a vote is a constituency that isn't a foregone conclusion. Feels good!

I vote in rather the same way as I sing in the choir. No one vote (or voice) makes the difference, but at the same time nobody else's vote (or voice) is more important than mine. Only by taking part does the music happen.

However - Tories, LibDems, Labour voters, please, please feel free to believe that your votes don't matter and there's no point. That would make me very very happy.... :D

Rolfe.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/constituency/1022/high-peak
same here, except that in 2001 the Labour majority was pretty large.

I still haven't deceided for whom I will be voting. Labour suck on civil liberties, Tories aren't much better, Lib dems are third.
 
To be honest, my constituency is a Tory/Labour marginal, which will probably squeeze out the other parties.

I dislike Labour and the Tories pretty much equally though, so as usual I'll be voting for the party I prefer.

Rolfe.
 
Undesired Walrus said:
With the election in the UK coming up, I come across more and more people who state that they are not going to vote, that there isn't much point, that 'nothing will change'. I find this deeply depressing, and more than a little annoying. However, I can't really give back a good response. I find the classic: 'people died for the right to vote' not all that compelling when you consider that people die for many things we take for granted. If I choose not to eat for a few days, you are unlikely to tell me 'people die for food' all around the world. So please give me- oh jref brains- a good argument as to why joe bloggs from the street should vote.
Click to expand...

well, part of the problem is the political system.....

1) Lots of people live in constituencies where their vote genuinely won't matter, you could announce the results today for (i reckon) at least half of all constituencies....

2) We have a choice between 2 centre right parties who can win. Labour who have ◊◊◊◊◊◊ up the country or the Tories who will probably do so even more....There is little in the way of ideology - it's cynical power-orientated politics - what to do to get in power, what to do to remain in power.....

3) Voters are just completely sick to death of the corruption, venality, egotism and dishonesty displayed by MPs from across the political spectrum

That's not to say people shouldn't vote, but I can understand why people are turned off by politics. And ultimately that's down to our political system itself.

I'm going to vote for the Greens. Is it going to matter? No. Will the Greens win a seat in my constituency? Not a hope in hell. Will they return a single seat to Westminster? Unlikely. I'll do it for the principle that i should vote. But there won't be a whole lot of difference between me doing that and me staying at home in terms of political effect...
 
Well, in our constituency we're rid of the clown who was Minister for Defence until recently so I don't know if it's the shoe-in it once was. SNP victory in the Scottish Parliament, SNP in the local authority, but how much of that was tactical voting?

Of course, I'm supporting the conservatives south of the Border, what with it being the quickest way to Scottish independence......
 
In the 1998 election for governor in Colorado, Bill Owens defeated Gail Schoettler by 8,297 votes which for that year worked out to 2.5 votes per precinct. I use this example when I talk to someone who says their vote doesn't matter.
 
an added thought,

If we actually had a None of the Above option, then people who want to exercise their right to vote but feel unrepresented by all parties can still be included in the political system.

If NoA gets the highest proportion of the votes then no candidate is elected and a byelection must be called within (say) 3 months....
 
Architect said:
Well, in our constituency we're rid of the clown who was Minister for Defence until recently so I don't know if it's the shoe-in it once was. SNP victory in the Scottish Parliament, SNP in the local authority, but how much of that was tactical voting?

Of course, I'm supporting the conservatives south of the Border, what with it being the quickest way to Scottish independence......
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That's all very well, but if they do well, we're stuck with that waste of oxygen Mundell. On the other hand, you should see the other guy. And I wouldn't vote for Cat Bat on a bet, either.

Rolfe.
 
Rolfe said:
However - Tories, LibDems, Labour voters, please, please feel free to believe that your votes don't matter and there's no point. That would make me very very happy.... :D
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I'm fairly sure that such a tack would leave us in this constituency with the BNP candidate. SNP might be somewhat different from BNP (;)), but it's still not tempting. I don't mean to imply that the BNP get anything other than a negligible vote here (I'm not sure they even field a Harborough candidate), but they got some votes next door in Blaby (Lawson's old constituency) last time, and I'm not taking the risk.
 
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andyandy said:
an added thought,

If we actually had a None of the Above option, then people who want to exercise their right to vote but feel unrepresented by all parties can still be included in the political system.

If NoA gets the highest proportion of the votes then no candidate is elected and a byelection must be called within (say) 3 months....
Click to expand...

We have it. It's spoiling your ballot, and it's counted and acknowledged.
 
Two-horse in my 'hood. Without apologies to those irked by tactical voting, this means if I want Labour, I vote Labour; if I want Tory I vote LibDem, and if I want LibDem I don't worry about it.
 
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