Topic: How Should I Vote?

This is a question to those who favour the idea that if you don't vote you can't complain.  While I'm with this idea with specific regard to people who are just can't be bothered to go out and vote I know this isn't the only reason people don't.

So I ask, how should I vote if I don't support any of the candidates?  This was the position I found myself in durring my last federal and provincial elections.  I had my choice of 5 parties (5 candidates for my riding) and I looked into their politics and positions and found that there wasn't one I could say I agreed with most of their policies.  I found some things in each that I could get behind but none of them had a platform I could fully, or even mostly, support.

So again how should I vote?  Should I lend my support to the party I disagree with the least, or do I simply not support any of them?  Or is there some other option?  In both the past elections I chose the ladder but I know a number of people far more principled than I am who refused to put their weight behind a party or candidate they couldn't fully or mostly support just because they had the best bad idea.  And I think this is how we need to start looking at people who don't vote; not as lazy or disinterested but citizens who have found they can't support any of the candidates and are exercising their only means of protest.

There are 10 kinds of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

Re: How Should I Vote?

Personally, I'd suggest organizing what you want.  If, for example, you lived in a world where there were only 4 political issues... I'd suggest you set up a list of priorities for your ideal stances, based on a mix of how important the issue is to you and how likely the vote is to exact a favorable change (for example, I would suggest prioritizing stances which only required a simple majority to pass into law over something requiring a much greater consensus.  The importance of this second portion is extremely region-dependent... this will probably be more important in closer, more contested elections).

Essentially, my suggestion is to play politics.  Would you, for example, be willing to accept someone with an unfavorable stance on international trade in order to get a favorable stance on domestic taxes?  Would you trade immigration reform for drug rights?  In this way, you won't find a fully compatible candidate... but you best advance the political agenda for which you hope to achieve.

Make Eyes Great Again!

The Great Eye is watching you... when there's nothing good on TV...

Re: How Should I Vote?

I have met people who just won't vote period, been that way their whole life.

Zarf is right, be political

Inflate a party no one thinks is worth anything with tens of thousands of protest votes and people will change their minds and nominate people more to your thinking

Everything bad in the economy is now Obama's fault. Every job lost, all the debt, all the lost retirement funds. All Obama. Are you happy now? We all get to blame Obama!
Kemp currently not being responded to until he makes CONCISE posts.
Avogardo and Noir ignored by me for life so people know why I do not respond to them. (Informational)

4 (edited by Justinian I 01-Jan-2012 23:50:41)

Re: How Should I Vote?

In most jurisdictions, prospects for jury duty are selected from the voter register. So by not registering, I greatly improve my chances of avoiding a possible life interruption.

Re: How Should I Vote?

Vote HotDogBun. Duh.

[I wish I could obey forum rules]

Re: How Should I Vote?

Dr NO confidence! HJe's your man! In any election there should always be an option for people to say they do not like any options presented, i..e that they have no confidence in any of the candidates and/or position.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but i am Jesus"
"Nothing is worse than a fully prepared fool"

Re: How Should I Vote?

> V.Kemp wrote:

> Vote HotDogBun. Duh.

Damn dude, you still up for VP?

"See and Let Yourself Be Seen" - Robin Trower, Little Bit of Sympathy

"Do What Thou Wilt" - Aleister Crowley, Liber al Legis
**************************************************************
"The desperation in peoples eyes for a job to support themselves and/or their family... is palatable." -Einstein, http://www.imperialconflict.com/forum/v … ?id=157429 (post #18)

Re: How Should I Vote?

Traditionally that's done by making your voting ballot void, by either selecting all or selecting none of the options, You_Fool

NEE NAW NEE NAW

Primo

Re: How Should I Vote?

LOL HotDogBun. Geeze I get on the forum once in 5 years, drunk, and.... Hell yeah I'll VP the shit out of this nation. Hell I could do 50x better than Biden even if I never sobered up for the 8 years.

[I wish I could obey forum rules]

Re: How Should I Vote?

Full disclosure: The second half of that 8 years would involve the secret service desperately trying to reason with a drunk V. Kemp, explaining to him that he lost reelection and needs to vacate the premises.  smile

Make Eyes Great Again!

The Great Eye is watching you... when there's nothing good on TV...