Why I don't vote

[prosto_tak]

Every four years I'm genuinely puzzled by why people vote.  I can think of a dozen reasons not to vote, and none whatsoever to do so.  Here are my dozen reasons not to vote:

1) I live in California, where the probability of my vote mattering is zero.

2) Even if I lived in a different state, the probability of my vote mattering is as close to zero as

Comments

[angerona]

this is all just about a presidential election. Your ballot, I'm sure, includes many other candidates for other positions and also ballot questions. For those, each individual vote is worth more. And while you are there, voting on those issues, that are likely to affect you directly, you may as well cast your vote for a president, to contribute to the commons of the election.

[prosto_tak]

Interesting, everyone is talking about local elections. I think most of my arguments apply to local elections as well. The probability of my vote counting is 1 in 1000s rather than 1 in 1,000,000s - better, but still negligible. The voters seem to be even less informed. And the issues themselves tend to be much more muddled. Witness the whole mess around Prop 30 and 38 in CA this year. The law of unintended consequences seems to have been postulated for local propositions.

[borya_bo]

Because this attitude (esp. if shared by others) might cause a chain reaction when other people are not voting either and then eventually you don't get this hundred or a thousand votes that the measure needs to pass. So don't vote, but tell everyone excitedly that you voted:)

[prosto_tak]

When I see that most people stop voting, that's when I'll consider starting voting. But so far the number of people who vote is still way too high for one vote to matter. :)

[borya_bo]

I think you missed my point. Voting yourself is mostly symbolic. But being public and vocal about not voting and apolitical because it's hard, it doesn't matter, politics is dirty, and no candidate is ideal, makes a lot more difference (damage) than the personal decision of vote/no vote (because it potentially affects a lot of people).

[prosto_tak]

I view my non-voting as an act of political dissent. See http://prosto-tak.livejournal.com/32512.html?thread=353280#t353280. Why would I want to be silent about it? I'd prefer for more people not to vote...

[anyalev]

You should post this on facebook.

[anna_egorova]

Извините, что влезла, пришла по репосту от Вашей жены :)
Я буду голосовать по одной простой причине - потому что терпеть не могу мужиков, пытающихся женщинам запретить делать аборты :) это мой принципиальный пункт в данном голосовании. И я всем об этом говорю, кто адекватен настолько, чтобы слушать и не начинать драку :)

[prosto_tak]

It's certainly not the worst reason to vote :)

[iz_tumana]

so you don't vote. But do you contribute money to causes/initiatives that you support?
This is another way to make your opinion count.

[prosto_tak]

Humanitarian causes - yes. Could do more, of course. Not political causes. Again, have not found the ones that would inspire me.

[iz_tumana]

humanitarian and charity is a totally different issue.
I am talking political.
inspire? what about disgust :) Or, say, would make your life difficult as a business owner?
Or goes against your ideology? How do you stand up for what you believe in?
Let's say there is an issue you care about, what do you do?

[prosto_tak]

Define the difference between humanitarian causes and charity? If you are helping the victims of a terror act, or sick children, which one is it?