March 29, 2006
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Voting
I was watching American Idol the other day with my family. I never watched this show until a week or two ago. But now I am kind of interested in it. My second son was sitting down and watching American Idol and he asked an important question. He asked, “Have we ever voted on American Idol?” I thought this would be a good moment to teach my children about democracy. I told him, “Of course we have never voted on American Idol. When millions of people vote, your vote is worthless.”
I know there will be those who point to the presidential election of 2000. But even in Florida, the vote was decided by 500 votes or so. And who really knows how many votes were never counted. Even if I lived in Florida in 2000, my vote would have not made one candidate win over the other.
Is voting a waste of time?
Comments (192)
Yes.
I think teaching your children that not voting is a waste of time.
I’m not sure…I used to think so but my husband doesn’t so I just vote what he votes…maybe it’s cheating…
YAY! 3rd!
Never.
If you don’t vote, then you waive your right to disagree with public officals, policies and anything else decided by a vote.
yes, it is.
Wow. Fourth. But I had a feeling it was coming.
i vote so i can complain… it works.
no
It may seem like a waste of time, but if we don’t vote, we can’t complain. At least we have the right to vote, and we should definitely exercise that right!
No…. your vote ALWAYS counts!!! Perfect example……Yours could have been one of the 500 in Florida that swung the decision.
Absolutely not. LarsThunder makes a great point. Also, each vote does matter. As does the trend that person may set with those that influence, who likewise then don’t vote. Thus, a greater impact.
I’m kind of voting right now by commenting, and yes, it’s a waste of time.
american idol charges you to vote…
but to vote for a political candidate…is not a waste. If people don’t vote, then the candidates don’t care.
no! i was taught last year….your vote always counts. even if it’s just one.
because…think about it… if EVERYONE decides “my vote doesn’t count” then NO ONE will vote.
ryc: lol, not sure. probably how to be a die-hard, hard-ass Republican.
Don’t know … I have never vote yet … hehehe
Some paradox here. I say, vote if you feel you understand the situation. Absolutely. But, if you’re unsure, don’t fuck this up!
In the last election, I voted for John Kerry, doing so in a Republican heavy state. My vote became part of the percentage of people who voted for Kerry, and we had a high percentage of people voting democratic, higher than it has been in many years. So, you see, my vote went to hopefully turn around a trend in my state.
Voting and voicing your opinion is always good. Always.
hmm… well… i’m 19 and not registered to vote. i should be… but i just don’t know what i would vote for… i guess i should be more involved.
but i’ve always thought if you don’t vote you shouldn’t gripe.
No definately not…every vote counts..look at the Gore/Bush election pretty close..
It also seems to me that you won an IPod because of voting.
I guess voting always counts for something, but you really have to be more involved to make a big difference nowadays. Mostly the vote is decided by organizations lobbying, but then people have to belong to those organizations…pooling of the resources.
Im not so sure about voting.
Voting for stupid thigns like American Idol is a waste of time, but when it comes to voting for offices, NO WAY.
no, absolutely not. what would happen if every person decided it were a waste of time to vote? our countries government would fall apart. what is the point of democracy, if the founding priciple, a poeple’s government, if the people decide they don’t want to be a part of it?
love.
Well I guess it isn’t much of a waste.
no
no no no no no no no no no
(well maybe yes,)
but mostly no
I am trying to grasp that myself..does it really matter what with the electoral college?? I have not an answer..but more questions…
And American Idol was just PAINFUL last night…..oh it was bad.
NO!
yes
no
No, its not….
I agree with the commenter who stated that if you don’t vote, you can’t complain…
If that isn’t good enough for you, then think about the war that was fought to give you that right to vote… not to guilt trip you or anything… hehe…
no, its not a waste of time.
Individually it seems like it…obviously one person’s vote won’t make all the difference, but every little bit helps.
NOPE cause if u everyone thinks that then no one will
dude you have to vote.. if everyone thinks thats their vote doesn’t count then we have a problem here. if you didn’t vote duirng the election, you can’t really complain about the president.
No. Your vote counts as much as your neighbors or anyone else’s. It is not a waste of time.
yea i dont think u should have told your kid that
Yes, provided it abides by the rule of the majority that rarely know what the issues are about or are miseducated from lobbying and political commercials.
If the voters are well-educated about the issues involved and are pretty sure about what they want–sure. Voting will be worth it.
However, it has been a while since I saw an election like that…
Dan, Dan, Dan, poor clueless Dan. The millions are made up of individuals one at a time. Every single one of them has a story and dreams and aspirations. Is the loss of one life insignificant? Of course not. In the case of American Idol, it is not just about whether your one vote will count, it is about making a contact with someone who has brought you joy in their voice. It may seem insignificant but it is still part of those “millions”
Do you consider any one of the 600 thousand plus visitors that you’ve had to your site, unimportant? hmmmm?
There have been presidents in the past elected by a meager amount of votes. Not voting is pointless; in a nation this big, your voice needs to be heard. How can you teach your kids that voting is pointless? The only thing I don’t like is the electoral college. . .the state shouldn’t decide, it should be purely by number of votes
of course not. now lets suppose everyone took your point of view and stopped voting. all 500 of those votes were 500 single votes all put together. but the reality is that your vote wouldn’t have made a difference i guess.
When I look at the choice of candidates, I sometimes think so!
Tell you what. You vote republican next time and I will vote democrat and we will cancel each other out and let everyone else decide, ok?
L,r
if you don’t vote, you can’t complain the government is doing a bad job. The point groups try to get people to vote is because when they do that, they get a mass of people to vote.
kind of. but not really. more towards yes though.
ryc: sadly, no. there seems to be a shortage of them on my campus…
no! people fought hard for the right to vote! it’s sad that a lot of people take our democratic government for granted….
to me it is. even though i was v.p. of my college republicans club at one time.
It would seem to be the only way to make your voice heard most of the time. A very quiet voice it would be but you did get to make a choice!
No. I don’t think it’s a waste of time.
Electoral colleges decide who will be President, however I vote anyway, just in case there’s a screw up and my vote actually counts!
— Also I feel I have the “right” to complain if I vote too! 
Voting is a waste of time, not because of the numbers but because the policies that are made are so removed from the people that it has been worthless effort.
Most of Congress never read the Patriot Act, and don’t even read most of the legislation they pass. Lobbyists insert whatever pork the want in the bills. Our votes don’t matter because the welfare of Drug Companies, Big Oil, and Busisness is more important to Congressman than their constiutents. This is a faux democracy.
I think people should vote, even if it seems insignificant.
Think of it this way– If everyone said the same thing, we wouldn’t get any votes period. So yes, your vote does matter. Every vote is part of the bigger scheme of things.
No, it’s not because at least it makes you care enough about your government to choose between candidates and sometimes vote on legislation. However, the system is compromised when people vote straight-ticket.
Even if millions and millions of people vote, it does not make your vote any less significant. Even if the candidate/idea that you opposed won, you still voiced your opinion. Every vote counts, and everyone should vote. It’s one way of standing up for your beliefs.
Nope. If no one voted, how would we elect presidents, et. al.?
Sometimes I think it is.
I can’t wait to vote.
Amanda
I’m all for the vote so you can complain idea….Now all I have to do is get around to register to vote.
Pesky
not really?
I’m kind of like you, but what if EVERYONE thought the same way. No one would win an election because no one would vote.
Larry
On another note, it has been argued that voting does not matter due to the electoral college. That is merely because the electoral college represents the Constitutional power in America – the states. Unfortunately this issure was clouded by the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, but in reality the states are to hold power in this country. Rule by the masses is just as dangerous as rule by the strong central government.
sometimes
Voting is not a waste of time no matter how many people are involved. And shame on you for saying that to your children.
What the lesson should have been is “It’s a waste of time when it’s stupid pop stars that you’re voting for, instead of the leader of the United States.”
It’s pretty retarded that more people vote each week for crappy pop stars than go vote in Presidential elections. That tells me people are more willing to continuosly vote every week for their “candidates” than get off their ass once every 4 years and truly make a difference.
Uh… voting Republican in an electoral college in California?
No.
Just think about all the people who didn’t vote because “It wouldn’t of made a difference.”
Put all those people onto one side- heh, looks like it could make a difference.
Well, you have to understand voting before you make the choice, which, for some reason, lots of people don’t.
Your vote as an individual does not necessarily decide who becomes the President of the United States (this explanation is not for your benefit, Dan, as I’m sure that you already know
).
In each state, the popular vote is totaled, and the winning party for any given state is allowed to send off a set of predetermined individuals to cast a final vote, called an Electoral Vote. Every state has a different number of electoral votes, depending on the population. California, for example, has 55 electoral votes, while my own state, South Carolina, only has about 7 or so, if I remember correctly.
Say, for instance, a Republican, a Democrat, and a member of the Green party are all on my state’s ballot. I cast a vote for one of these three parties — write-ins notwithstanding (I’m enjoying this word, lately). At the end of my state’s voting, the Republican party has 25% of the popular, state vote; the Democratic party has 47% of the popular, state vote; the Green Party has 28% of the vote. In my state, the Democratic party has won the electoral votes, which, for the sake of the example, are composed of seven people that the Democrats have lined up to go cast their final votes wherever such votes are cast.
Each group, whether Democrat, Republican, or Green party has to decide on a group of people to go and cast an electoral vote(s) for them, to be prepared in the event that they come out on top. The people who cast these electoral votes are not required to follow the popular vote for the state; their voting choice can be entirely dependant of that vote, if they like. The Republic-electoral-voters can change their minds and cast votes for the Green, or Republican party instead. I’m not an election buff, but I believe that this has actually happened a very, very few times in our country’s history.
So, in the end, it’s the electoral votes — the “Electoral College” — not the popular votes that win the election. Your vote does count for something, but it doesn’t necessarily ensure the election of a president. That is left up to the electoral college. We’ve had presidents in the past lose the popular vote, but win the college and go on to become president.
Do I think my vote is wasted? No, I do not. However, I’m more interested in voting on a city, or county level than on a presidential one.
Best wishes,
Stephen
Is commenting on voting a waste of time?
Voting when you don’t understand how to punch a card is a waste of time. =P
But voting itself, no way, not a waste of time.
I say we just hand supreme power to some guy who wants to be in charge. That way we can be lazy and never vote.
You know what would get people to vote though? Betting on the results. ‘Cause people are money-hoarding sleezballs.
if everyone thought it was a waste of time, noone would do it
I think so.
tons of people think that voting is waste of time, but if all those people did vote, dont you think that would make a difference?
I think anyone who doesn’t vote in gov. elections but has the right too should be fined. It’s not only a right, it’s a duty. If two million people don’t care about voting, well there can be a problem.
i dont think it’s a waste. what if everyone thought it was a waste and just didn’t vote. that’d be so many people that could determine the vote, dont you think?
I don’t think it’s a waste of time at all. I’ve voted in every election. I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but I’ve even voted on American Idol. For the first season anyway. And to correct/clarify what someone else said, they don’t charge when you call in a vote, it’s free. It’s only if it’s a text vote that you’re charged the usual fees.
Everytime I tried, I could never get through, and that was in season 2. I haven’t treid since then.
No, it’s not a waste at all. In fact, I am appaulled that you made such a bold remark. If everyone thought that way, we wouldn’t even have a government. Everyone’s vote counts. And even if someone else votes for the other side than you and you tink, “now my vote has been cancelled out. great.” Guess what? You cancelled their’s out too! No, it is necessary for America.
Depends on the election….I usually vote for the devil I know rather than the one I don’t.
Candy
depends on where you live
You should be shot for even thinking that.
No, because if everyone said that voting was a waste of time than eventually there’d be no one voting at all. Plus many people like to talk about their president and if someone didnt vote than they don’t really have a say in it at all.
only if it’s a major event, and a bazillion people vote.
Is this supposed to be irony? A trick question? Because it sure sounds like it to me. Voting on whether or not voting is wasteful?
Hmm…
no i dont think so. if everyone had the same metality and said “well my vote won’t count, let everyone else vote.” then there wouldn’t be alot of votes at all!! The other thing is, if you decide to leave voting up to everyone else, then you shouldn’t have a say about what’s going on in the government because you showed no concern in the foundation of it – the election!
no!! im2 young but i still think that its important
for the peaples whos 500 votes didnt matter. but for the others no. besides i bet if they counted ever single vote bush would be packed up and back to taxus. im my shool last year 95% of they kids voted for kerry leaving 5% for bush and the other dude.but sume how bush still won. we had posters all up around the school saying “BUSH IS SCARY VOTE FOR KERRY” good times good times……
If everyone believed their vote didn’t count, no one would vote. So someone has to believe it counts. I do.
no. i think if you don’t vote, you’re letting someone else choose. i heard 79 million ppl(<don’t quote, cuz not sure) didnt vote in last presidential election. that’s alot of ppl.
no. it makes you impowered even if it’s just a little… if you didn’t vote there would have been one less or one more in the favor of one or more candidate. (i have no idea who you’d vote for)
i think ppl should take advantage that they, as americans, can vote. if don’t like the idea that you can choose your leader, go to Cuba.
Of course democracy is better than any alternative, however when we are generally give choices between two sickeningly similar elitists, voting can seem a bit fruitless..
Just like the presidental run down, it makes me feel better that I voted. You know, so I deserve my rights to bitch.
No, voting is NOT worthless.
And by the way, those people who do not vote have NO right to complain about how our government is run. That is a major pet peeve of mine.
Are you serious????
Voting is our civic duty. It is not a waste of time.
Voting on idol…that’s entertainment.
BIG difference.
no although the electral vote system isn’t that great.
yeah. for me, at least. i’ve never seen the purpose of it.
no, if everyone had that attitude then hardly anyone would vote, making democracy pointless. if everyone out there who has that attitude would vote, i think the distributions between candidates would be quite different.
no
No, of course not.
Voting is never in vain. While your vote may not change the results of the election, the votes of 1000 people who believe like you do may change the election. In the last local election, the victor was decided by two votes.
Just as the people who voted for Perot or the green party candidate whose name escapes me at the moment, their votes counted simply by influencing future elections.
If everyone thought so, it would be… wouldn’t it?
Its one of those security issues.. the belief that voting helps is like believing in God.. you feel secure.. there are those who dont believe (whether it be God or voting) and if theyre ok with that then theyre ok..
if you add up all of the people with that mentality then it’s an overwhelming consideration.. but in the long run, who cares.. i think it’s rigged anyway
but i still like to think my lame little text message vote is the decider
I think thats terrible reasoning. If you’re always concerned about the individual impact, then you never see beyond the individual impact… Collective impacts are powerful. Individually it doesn’t matter if one person litters, but if everyone started thinking this way, then it makes a huge difference. Teaching your child this about voting, that their vote doesn’t make a difference, no matter how true it is in this instance, is teaching your child to ignore anything that doesn’t directly benefit himself. It’s teaching him that community doesn’t matter. It’s teaching him team efforts, collective efforts, don’t matter. It’s teaching him its all about the results, and not the struggle to get there.
Well if everybody thought voting was stupid, then no one would vote, except those very few rebels. Then, THOSE votes would count. Am I making any sense?
I do not think voting is a waste of time.
Sure, if you look at your individual vote compared to the thousands of other votes in your country/state/region/natuion, then it seems pretty insignificant.
However one of my biggest pet peeves is how much young people bitch about politicians, yet don’t vote!! The same goes to for minorities. If ONE person votes against the grain in a particular area, then it makes no difference. But if every 18-30 yr old were to vote in the next presidential election, it would make a HUGE difference!!! Politicians would actually look at our demographic and try to appease us b/c all of a sudden we’d be an important sector of the voting population. Just as if every black person, or every hispanic person, or every woman voted… I think Capitol Hill would look quite different from what it does now.
Not to mention that most people ignore local elections, which are the ones that actually have the highest impact on people’s day-to-day lives (much more so than the president)…
ps- Florida got thre most attention, but in each of the past 2 pres. elections, how many other states were closely tied? LOTS. Each of them could’ve made a huge difference if the 1-5% majority had swung the other way.
ps- I think it’s a travesty that so few people vote in the US. We’re supposed to be the beacon for democracy and we can’t even get our own citizens to get off their asses and fill in dots on a piece of paper?
I don’t think so. If everyone had that view, then no one would vote. One vote may not seem like much a difference, but it’s all of those one votes together that elect the leader of our country….or the next American pop star.
i think voting is good, because it does affect things.
For me, voting seems to be a waste of time, because I have no understanding of politics. They have all these campaigns out there to encourage people to vote, but how many people actually KNOW what they’re voting for when they vote? There isn’t a news entity that will give us an accurate picture of anything, fair and balanced or not.
BUT, I believe it is important to vote, and claim some responsibility, because I believe that God desires that of us, I have felt very convicted lately about my totall ignorance of politics.
Now, American Idol is something I can wrap my mind around completely, and I totally vote when I’m compelled, or I think my favorite person sucked that night, I call over and over…seriously, I’m an AI nerd!
No.
I like filling out forms and the like.
If no one voted, who would win?
I watch Amrican Idol all the time… As a matter of fact it will be on in about five minutes.
I vote every wek for Taylor Hicks. Voting does matter and every vote counts. without the votes of the voter, whether it be for American Idol or elections, no outcome would occure.
My mother is a crazy republican, who *only* votes republican, and that’s it.
When I turn 18 next year, I plan on voting for whoever I feel deserves to win, which probably won’t be the same person as my mother, because we have very different views.
So, I don’t think my votes will be worthless, because it’ll be evening out her vote, instead of just having her vote count.
Well, I personally think that it depends on the matter of subject. Say its for american idol. The vote will not harm you. But if its for something that matters like election, you should always vote. Because that will affect your life.
It all depends on the subject and the effect.
I missed being eligible for the last presidential election by three days, it was a major bummer. But the reality is, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died over the course of our history protecting your right to vote. A lot of effort and upheaval went into getting blacks and women the vote as well. When you don’t vote, or don’t make an informed choice when you do, you trample the sacrifice of so many people who went through hell to give you that opportunity.
No. Voting is a legal attempt to impose your will over other people.
ultimately, no. somebody’s gotta do it
but when you’re standing in line waiting to vote it sure feels like it is
no. the system is corrupt and imperfect. but removing yourself from the system won’t solve anything. only removes your power. every single vote does count. just like every single penny couts. pennies add up to dollars. votes add up to elected officials. we tend to only think of the president when we vote. but we tend to ignore local politics. you can affect change in your community by electing school board members or city council. you can affect change in your state by electing governers and senators and house members. you can often vote on referrendums and new policies. it’s such a depressing fallacy that voting doesn’t count.
If you are that concerned about wanting your vote to count.
No.
But if you want complaining rights.
Then you better vote or people will look at you and say,
‘Well, did you vote?’
‘Then I don’t want to hear about it.’
And everybody loves complaining rights.
No, it is not a waste of time. Just like one person can change the world, so can one vote. If you believe that the things you do don’t matter, then what is the incentive to do anything? Vote, people, vote!!
Voting is not a waste of time. In my opinion, if you don’t vote you waive the right to crab about who wins. This goes for the Presidential election as well as American Idol
I believe that voting is important and every vote does count. As it as already been said by others on here…including my husband (jam4the1lamb) and Lars Thunder…if you choose not to vote you have no right to complain…you waived your right to do so. Also we are lucky in that we have the right to election our Leaders…as I have told my students in my history class over and over…even if your candidate doesn’t win you had the right to say who or what you wanted…many countries don’t have that right…they live without freedom and rights that we as Americans take for granted cause we are too busy whining when we don’t get our way or what we want. By voting you at least get to have your say…and then majority wins come what may.
Voting is NEVER a waste of time… that’s the problem with this country today… we take it all so for granted… Voting is a PRIVILEGE.
Is the Constitution of the United States a waste of time?
depends on what you’re voting on. For the presidential election yes it is a waste of time because as four other elections have shown it doesn’t always matter who gets the vote of the populace. but on American Idol it’s very important.
well if you vote one way and your state ends up giving their votes to the other side i feel its worthless.. i mean im never gonna feel liek my vote counts unless im democrat.. as we all knw cali is a democratic state well at least it was in the 2004 elections
No actually it isn’t. because if everyoone felt that way, then no one would vote at all. I see wher your coming from, but you kinow what I mean?
The way they count the votes doesn’t seem fair to me. But I would never tell my kids their vote is worthless. I just think that if everyone who thought their vote was worthless would vote, might actually be able to make a change.
amazing how one vote could change everything………
im not sure………if i was able to vote…………..i probably wouldnt………..i wouldnt have time…………im just lazy like that
No, voting is NOT a waste of time—Voting is a privilege. If you do not vote–DO NOT COMPLAIN!!
no, and if you think it is… go to somewhere where there is no democracy… somewhere where slavery still exists…
it was just less than 100 years ago some people.. including women in this very country… could not vote at ALL and worked off their tail feathers to do so.
well if you want my straight opinion i say no matter who wins they are all polititians and sadly almost all polititans are corrupted . either that or they lose . its odd also how we are thought of as a democrasy but we dont vote that way………..
You should vote just in case, because it is possible your vote makes a difference, and you should care about that possibility. If all the people who normally don’t vote decided to vote just in case, it’s quite likely something will change.
I think my government teacher would have your head on a pike for teaching your kid that his vote is worthless, fyi.
its not a waste of time
For American Idol and Student Elections, yes it is. If you don’t vote in the Presidential Election then you have no right to whine when your life is effected in ways that you do not like.
Erika
Well look at it this way: if voting is really pointless then everyone should just stop. But then if no one voted then where would we be?
Saying that your vote is worthless is ludicrous, at least in the case of a governmental election. Teach children the importance of their vote now, and hopefully they will vote when it matters.
you can’t sit around and gripe about the state of the country unless you actually got off your butt and voted. i voted and still dont gripe….i did my part and the one and only gripe i have is gas prices. but we dont get to vote or say in that do we?
in a democracy, a rule of, by, and for the people, voting is your DUTY!
shame on you.
no, absolutely not.
No. Lots of “one votes” make those 500 votes that decided the president and other such important things. If everyone thought that way, nothing would ever happen. It’s one’s duty as an American citizen.
I’m not old enough to vote yet (Being thirteen. DARN YOU AGE FACTOR.), but when I am; I will definititely not miss an opportunity to do so.
Even if it doesn’t make a difference. I just like expressing my opinion.
if all the idiots stopped voting there would be like 2 votes cast in every election. voting is not a waste of time. it just doesn’t mean as much as it used too.
When millions of people vote, your vote is worthless.
Tell that to the Iraqis.
Yes, it is definately worth your time! If everyone thought it was a waste of time, no one would vote, and then that one person that did would decide everything and everyone would complain! Or something like that.
nope.
Absolutely not, your vote does count. THere are… so many people in our nation that think like you, which means that if even 5% of you guys who think that their votes dont count voted, a change could have been made. Every vote counts.
It is but I still do it. I’m still registered to vote in Mississippi and there every Democratic vote is precious.
Oh dear, let’s hope not. I’m honestly surprised that you would feel that way-not that you can really get to know someone from reading their blog-especially one like this where you pose the questions instead of stating what your opinions are, but I’m still surprised. I guess I just thought that someone so intellectual and involved would have a little bit more of an optimistic standpoint on the thing called Democracy. I hope voting works. If not, we better get the hell out of dodge.
I mean, no offense of course!! Still surprised though.
It seems that way, as the electoral vote is what counts, in the end, but it is said our votes count. Too bad bush got so many in an underhanded way.
It is – but not if the majority of the people in your area realize that and give it up. Haha. So you have to go do it. It also wouldn’t be a waste of time if EVERYONE voted, but since the CONSERVATIVES will NOT ALLOW a bill forcing everyone to vote, that’s not going to happen.
[I'm not sure I really agree with what I just said, it's only what was just running through my mind - I'm definitely running down to the voting booth every chance I get and voting].
No, it is not. People died for that right. The problem is our two party system is broken right now, in the sense that in the last election there was precious little to choose from and the democrats are a bunch of spineless yes men who get me so sick ill probably register as a republican so I can put my vote in for a moderate republican in the ’08 primaries.
Athiest me, godless homosexual approving pro abortion me. Because Hillary is almost as bad as Bush. That woman doesnt have an original thought in her head. She has no real position, so crafted and calculating. Bush is just dumb, criminally so. The people that advise him are selfish beyond comprehension if you deconstruct it, and im not sure why because I cant believe anyone could truly be consciously evil. Selfish righteous and stupid? What a dark period this has been at the beginning of the century. It could have been worse I suppose…
If you don’t live in a swing state then yes, voting is useless. In some ways probably American Idol is more democratic than U.S. elections dominated by the electoral college. But that’s probably because I don’t know people who jam up the lines to vote 1,000 times for the same contestant.
We certainly know that isn’t true. I’m not American, and its compulsory to vote here. I cannot comprehend how someone could say that it doesn’t count! Hello? Democracy! At least we have the right to vote. What the heck are you fighting for if voting is insignificant. Its like saying “everyone has an opinion, therefore yours doesn’t count amongst the vastness of it all”.
No!
if no one voted… nothing would get done. just because you’re only one person, doesnt mean you’re worthless. what sort of message are you sending here?!
I haven’t voted yet but the way I see it, if the almost 50% of Americans who don’t vote actually did, then they would definitely have an impact. You can’t think about it as an individual activity because it’s not. It’s you participating in a very important group activity.
the problem is, what if everybody said that? just do your part. it doesn’t take up THAT much time.
No, voting is not a waste of time. This is because, the more people that see it through that perspective, they won’t vote any more. Simply because they think its a “watse of time”. When accually, somehow, there votes do count.
UR VOTE DOESNT MEAN SHIT, NEITHER DOES MINE, THE ELECTORIAL COLLEGE VOTES FOR THE PRESIDENT. HOW OFTEN IS THE PRESIDENT ELECTED WHO WON THE POPULAR VOTE? DEMOCRACY IS A FARCE
Absolutely not. If no one voted, then we wouldn’t have any say. Even if our voice is small, it’s still our voice, and it’s still heard.
No, it’s not a waste of time, unless you really don’t care about the issues.
never. . . if everyone decided voting was a waste of time and no one did it, then our democracy would collapse. Voting isn’t about one person deciding, it is about everyone collectively voicing their opinions, and then choosing the person who will most represent the people. If none of the people care enough to vote, then maybe they don’t appreciate democracy and freedom enough. They should have to live under a dictator for a while to realize how blessed they are to have freedom.
it is the same situation as with conservation of energy. one person can’t change the world, but if everybody thinks they can, maybe their collective efforts can.
This is completely absurd and ridiculous… You should really be ashamed of your attitude. If everyone had your attitude, then the view point of a minority of people could control the masses. On second thought, maybe its that defeatest attitude that has caused the democrat party to tailspin in the past elections. (Because we know more people call them selves democrats rather than republicans). Go Bush!
No, not voting is giving up you right to complain about the government.
I’m a firm believer that if you don’t vote than you shouldn’t complain. This alone, the right to complain, is enough to get me out there to vote each election.
if you dont vote, I say you have no right to complain
Absolutely not but protesting and lobbying is going steps further.
absolutely not
Of course a vote counts- if everyone thought that way and decided not to vote, then who would lead our country? Some people (especially in the last election) don’t vote because they think they have to choose the “lesser evil” between a Democrat and Republican candidate. If more people voted for 3rd party candidates instead, maybe we would actually get a well-liked, decent national leader. People are against that because they think they’re “wasting” their vote, however if nobody votes then obviously no one will get elected.
i say no because . if everyone was to say my vote wont make a diffrence then no one would vote so , you can figure out the rest
i think that if you don’t vote.. then you don’t have a reson for complaining about the government when it turns a way that you’re against.
Voting isn’t a waste of time because not everyone thinks of it as a waste of time. As long as there is a majority of people who cooperate with the system, we’re okay. If we all thought our own vote wouldn’t count, there would be too close of a race, due to the fact that there would be so few votes cast..
[ariana]
No!
No, it’s not a waste of time because if you ld everyone that voting is a waste of time because a million people vote, no one will vote and there were nothing to judge on.
no because if everyone thought that then no one would vote and it wouldn’t work.
Voting is never a waste of time! The cases of history where one vote made the different are astounding! Never think that your vote is useless.
Nope.
Every vote counts.
See: Gangs of New York
it is and it isn’t in some places it all depends on your geographic location when submitting your vote
Sometimes, yeah, but think… what if everyone said that and never voted? Then, there would be 0 votes.
NO…I start voting for idol once there are 10 ppl left
Absolutely not. The pieces make up the whole, my friend.
I am actually quite disappointed that you believe that and, beyond that, would teach your children that.
> NO! but its only one form of political expression. :~}
Peace
Well it may be but you never know i read somewhere that just ONE vote made someone win something and a war to be stopped. Also if no one voted would we have a president? How will our president be chosen?
there was a bill to lower the drinking age to 18. if people that were ages 18, 19, and 20 had voted, or even if just a majority of them had, the legal drinking age in america right now would be 18.
one vote doesn’t matter, but if there are 20,000 people that think their vote doesn’t matter, that makes a difference. if you have an opinion, you should vote. as much as people complain about politics and stuff, you would think they would at least do the one small painless thing that they can do that actually influences anything.
no