OT - VOTE!!! - (US Citizens)

[Wolf72]

woo hoo! wolf is out the door and on his way to vote. It's easy when it's 3 short blocks away

 

[CRGreathouse]

Yes you should go out and vote if you have kept up on the issues and are informed. However if you have no clue about the issues and are just going to knee-jerk you vote, you might as well stay home. Ignorant voters are not a help.

I will go vote today, and I encourage conscientious citizens to do so.

Actually, let me disagree (slightly): I think all citizens should register and go to the voting booth. If you don't know enough about a particular candidate, don't vote -- but do show up.

I braved to rain to vote this morning, of course; it's an integral part of citizenship and all that.

 

[Airwolf]

I have to agree with the majority, go vote!!

Even if you only care about one of the canidate races or one of the ballot issues go vote.

If you don't have time to put your pants on that's ok, you won't be in public for much time.

 

[Henry]

I do agree with buzzard and Airwolf both, on different things.

You have the option to not vote on anything on your ballot. SO, if only a few issues or candidates interest you, just vote for those things, and leave the rest. "Wild" voting can be harmful in the end, because if a sufficient block of people vote for a candidate, and don't even know what they stand for, then they can be installing someone in office that they don't even follow or believe in! If I am ardently opposed to bugbears wearing purple socks, and I vote for a candidate who supports most of the issues I do, but who feels that bugbears should have the right to wear whatever socks they wish, then I have just installed a candidate who is antithetical to my most core beliefs - those sock-wearing sons of pigs!!!!

So, go and vote, America, and know who and what you are voting for!!!

 

[Suldulin]

I Voted

 

[mmadsen]

Alternative Voting Schemes

For anyone interested in different voting schemes, Science News has a piece on plurality voting (our current scheme) and alternatives like instant-runoff voting, Borda-count voting, and approval voting. They generally help avoid the problem of third-party candidates "stealing" votes from more centrist candidates.

 

[Magestrike]

Havent yet...but I will

I am going later on to vote after I pickup the wife from work. I have voted every year and for everything that I have had a chance to since I turned 18. I firmly believe it is one of the most important responsibilities as an American citizen, and 20 minutes of my time to honor those who have served and/or died to protect my right to be able to do so is no problem for me.

I saw a pretty good political cartoon the other day. It was a father explaining to his son about voting.

The father says "So, a Dictatorship is where 100% of the people vote, but have no choice on who to vote for"

The son responds "And a Democracy is where we have a lot of choices on who to vote for, but no one thinks it is important"

Just something to think about.

And I also agree....put on pants FIRST...then go vote.



Mage

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Actually, let me disagree (slightly): I think all citizens should register and go to the voting booth. If you don't know enough about a particular candidate, don't vote -- but do show up.

I braved to rain to vote this morning, of course; it's an integral part of citizenship and all that.

That's what I think as well. I frequently leave things like school board blank, because I have no idea who any of these people are, I don't have kids so I don't know if my school district sucks or not, so I wont vote for either way.

Now things like president, govenor, senators, reps i think people can get a good impression on which way they want to vote fairly easily, they generally have something like a campiagn statement a paragraph or two long, there are adds, news etc so I think most people can and should vote relatively intelligently here.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

I usually use the school board elections and other such things as a chance to vote for third party cantidates. As close as things are between the two major parties, I don't want a major election to swing one way or the other because of my one vote But for smaller offices, I try to support those third parties I agree with. I figure the more smaller offices they gain, the better their chances are of gaining recognition for future offices.

 

[hammymchamham]

I voted and all I got was this lousy sticker.

And I didn't even get a sticker.