Who's not voting? *Edit.*

[briarraindancer]

Last night, I threw something like a fit. I'd gone to my homepage to check on my chatterbox posts, and I happened to see the current poll. "Who are you voting for?" it asks. I scrolled through the options... and realized that I could not vote in this poll. There wasn't an option for me.

I didn't expect for my candidate to be mentioned by name; but there wasn't even an option for "I'm voting for a third party." So I posted about it in the Discussion Group. The Team was on the ball, something for which I'm grateful. They modified the poll because I made a stink. There's now the option to vote for "Write-In/Third Party." It's NOT the same thing, but I truly appreciated the effort to be included.

This morning, I went to check on the poll, because I was curious to see how many of us are actually voting Third Party. And I saw something that I find to be incredibly discouraging, and even a little bit sad. Of over eleven thousand votes, twelve percent of us ARE NOT voting. Period.

That's more than fourteen hundred people. I'll say it again--more than fourteen hundred of us just aren't voting. That's a lot of people failing to exercise their Constitutional right to stand up and be heard. To be counted. To make our choices and opinions known.

I was raised with the idea that if you didn't vote, you didn't have the right to complain. That if you didn't take the time to be involved in the process, didn't take the time to make your voice heard, well, too fucking bad. You had your chance.

Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe it's that the lines are too long, or that you have to work that day (that's what early voting and mail in ballots are for). Maybe you're abstaining to make a point (that's what third parties are for). But I can't think of a reason to NOT vote.

I of all people understand that there's a possibility that you may not like either candidate. That you may feel like there's no point in voting because you're likely to get more of the same. Just another politician. But consider this: just five percent of the popular vote to a registered third party grants that party federal funding. It's a whole new ballgame then. Three choices instead of two. Someday maybe even six choices, or ten. Surely that would be a good reason to vote.

There's the possibility that I'm just not understanding. That there's a valid reason for not voting. I'm not sure what it is, but maybe there is a good reason. So I'm asking--if you aren't voting, I'd like to know why.

***EDIT:*** In case you aren't aware of how to get an absentee ballot, Go Vote Absentee will walk you through the process, no matter what state you live in. IT'S STILL NOT TOO LATE TO GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT IN SOME STATES!!!

***EDIT (again).*** I just want to say how grateful I am for the honest responses I've gotten. While I may not agree with all your reasons, I can and do respect them. And I truly appreciate your candor.

[daisy975]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 12:34 PM

I am voting! 

But, I actually thought about not voting.  Why?  Because at the time I didn't feel as though I could feel really good about voting for anyone.  My thought is this, I will not vote just because I can.  I want to feel good about who I vote for, I want to believe in them.  I want to leave the polls and feel good about what I have done.  Also, I would rather people not vote than vote uneducated.  If you can't say why you are voting for someone then you shouldn't be voting.  It is our right to vote.  But, we should do some research first. 

I guess, maybe some people are lazy!   I am rambling, I'm done. 

[Fistandantalus]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 12:34 PM

Excellent point! (I already voted.)

[HistoryMamaX3]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 12:36 PM

Briar- you rock my world.

Voting is not a right, it is a responsibility of every American. You do not take the time to be a part of the system- you have no right to complain about how it works. I'm always saddened by the amount of people that do not take the time to educate themselves on the matters and vote. Government needs a change- and it isn't going to happen unless WE take charge and do it.

[briarraindancer]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 12:39 PM

But, I actually thought about not voting.  Why?  Because at the time I didn't feel as though I could feel really good about voting for anyone.  My thought is this, I will not vote just because I can.  I want to feel good about who I vote for, I want to believe in them.  I want to leave the polls and feel good about what I have done.  Also, I would rather people not vote than vote uneducated.  If you can't say why you are voting for someone then you shouldn't be voting.  It is our right to vote.  But, we should do some research first.

daisy975 

My point is that there are anywhere from six to ten candidates on the ballot in every state--surely there's one that EVERYONE can feel good about. At least, I'd hope so.

(Original Poster)

[_Tam_]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 12:51 PM

I voted Barr.  But then, I found this out about him.

"Bob Barr wants prayer in schools. Bob Barr blames the Supreme Court for destroying Christianity and keeping God out of public."

In response to the above:  "I agree totally.  After the Libertarian party selected Barr as its presidential candidate I cancelled my membership.  I was always to the left of some aspects of the Libertarian platform, but I felt that the party was a good fit for me overall.  I was particularly attracted to Libertarian views on civil liberties and personal freedom.  But the thought of Bob Barr representing my party was a bit much for me. "

One person's opinion:  "One thing you can always count on Barr to do is to find a cliff to dive off of when it comes to religion."

In response to the above opinion:  "Yes, he's the one who have a huge fit about Witches being allowed in the military when he was a congresscritter. He can seem fine on anything but religion where he can't seem to avoid going seriously wonky."

[_Tam_]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 12:52 PM

In retrospect, I think I should have voted for Baldwin or Obama; either one of them would be one less vote for McCain.

[Guinhyvar]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 1:01 PM

I AM voting. For the first time, ever.

I didn't vote in the past, but I didn't complain (out loud) about circumstances, either. I didn't vote because I never felt that I knew enough about the issues to make an informed decision, and that didn't feel right to me. However, I have since learned that if you want to know about the issues, then you have to dive right in and start researching. No one is going to spoon feed it to you.

Maybe my reasoning for not voting (in previous elections) is wrong, but I can't change it. I can, however, change it in the here and now. Thus, I vote!

[RanaAurora]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 1:17 PM

When I saw the poll last night, I actually thought, "Briar's going to be mad.  There's no choice for her."  After all, we know how you feel about people writing bad polls. ;)

Tam... I could have told you that. :(  His comments were in my journal in regards to Pagans in the military.

Anyway, I'm very proud of myself for voting.  This is my first time voting for President, but the second time I could have.  Quite frankly, I had way too much on my plate last time, and I think you girls have heard me discuss those couple months before.

[briarraindancer]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 1:28 PM

@ Tam: You'd not have liked Baldwin any more than Barr then. Take the time to read the Constitution Party's preamble and platform sometime. It's quite edifying, and you can find it all here. I still can't believe Dr. Paul endorsed Baldwin, and it disappoints me, honestly.

@ Jenna: I think you've proved my point for me. If the only reason we have not to vote is because we aren't informed, then why the hell aren't we seeking out that information?

(Original Poster)

[briarraindancer]

Oct. 30, 2008 at 1:30 PM

Aha, finally, a valid reason for not voting--Christie's debilitating car accident. =) That I can actually UNDERSTAND!

What's everyone else's excuse?

(Original Poster)