Is voting worth it?

[PsychoBlack]

I'm coming up on 18 next year and the year after that there is a presidential election. In 8th grade i thought politics was very cool and wanted to be a political scientist. Now it seems that all politicians are extremely good talkers who can not deliver on they're promises. Is voting worth my time or will i just be let down in the end

 

[LigerBomb]

I'm coming up on 18 next year and the year after that there is a presidential election. In 8th grade i thought politics was very cool and wanted to be a political scientist. Now it seems that all politicians are extremely good talkers who can not deliver on they're promises. Is voting worth my time or will i just be let down in the end

Geez, where do I start? First off, on making promises that can't be delivered upon: You do of course realize that it takes many people to create and pass legislation right? Likewise many people are responsible for slowing down and preventing such legislation. So when someone promises to do something it's should be with the understanding that they will try their best and that it's far from a guarantee.

Second, if you avoided everything that had the possibility to end in disappointment you probably shouldn't get out of bed in the morning. If getting let down is your rational for being lazy then that's pretty damn sad.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I'm coming up on 18 next year and the year after that there is a presidential election. In 8th grade i thought politics was very cool and wanted to be a political scientist. Now it seems that all politicians are extremely good talkers who can not deliver on they're promises. Is voting worth my time or will i just be let down in the end

From an economic standpoint, no, not really. Voting has become a much more efficient process than in the past, but you're still taking about half an hour to an hour (depending on your polling station) out of your day to cast a vote that will matter very little in the final outcome. Of course, your vote mattering little decreases the more local your elections become (e.g., a voter for county supervisor will be worth a lot more than a vote for the POTUS or one of your Senators), but my point still stands.

More than likely, you're going to have to find the motivation to vote either from a sense of duty or pride.

 

[Navi]

I'm coming up on 18 next year and the year after that there is a presidential election. In 8th grade i thought politics was very cool and wanted to be a political scientist. Now it seems that all politicians are extremely good talkers who can not deliver on they're promises. Is voting worth my time or will i just be let down in the end

If you're not a good talker you'll never be a politician, so not surprising they are. Of course they can't deliver, there are too many roadblocks in their way when they get to Washington. So yea you'll almost always be let down. Politics is the biggest scam there is, and most politicians are like snake oil salesmen.

But even saying that, it is your right to try and make a difference by going and casting a vote. I vote in every election and I would like to think that my vote makes a difference. It doesn't, but I can't sit and complain about the government if I didn't make the effort to do anything about it. If everyone felt that their votes didn't count, then no one would vote and then where would we be.

 

[HBK-aholic]

After looking at the Mid-Term election results of America I've come to the conclusion people who vote are complete idiots. But anyway, while your one vote doesn't seem to matter all that much, it's the only way you're ever going to get a say in how your country is run. And, if you don't vote you don't really have any legs to stand on when the elected candidate does something you strongly disagree with, because you did nothing to attempt stopping them being elected. One thing that annoys me is people who complain constantly about how the country is being run but won't take the time every few years to try and make a difference to it.

I'd say, short of literally being unable to make it to a polling station, there's no reason not to vote. I'm not sure how far apart polling stations are over there, but here it took me 10 minutes to get there, vote, and get back to my house. 10 minutes really isn't long when it's the only say you're ever going to get.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Yeah I think voting is worth it. Even though your individual vote has a minute impact, if everyone thought the same way and didnt bother voting nothing would happen and nothing would change. If you believe in the policies of a politition or are fed up with the current system, then I think you should vote.

I think everyone should have a say in how their country is run, and as previously mentioned if you can get to a polling station, you should have your say. I have voted in every election since I reached the voting age

 

[Mustang Sally]

... and I would like to think that my vote makes a difference. It doesn't, but I can't sit and complain about the government if I didn't make the effort to do anything about it.

You've got it half right. Your vote does make a difference; what it doesn't necessarily do is swing the election to the person you voted for. You're one of many.....but you still count, as long as you vote.

I hear people continually talk about how they love their country; they'll defend it to the death, and so on and so on. Then, they don't vote; yet dare to complain about the way things are in their country. In Connecticut, I listened to people talk about how much they wanted Linda McMahon to win her Senate race.....or how they wanted her to lose it. Then, they say they're not voting. Well, I'm not interested in their Linda rant if they're not exercising their right to make a difference in the way we have the privilege of doing it in a free country......by voting.

So, that's the part where you're half right; you do vote. Keep up the good work.

 

[Calderownz]

In all honestly, with the current system in place; no.

All votes don't actually count. You could be in a state that has 20 million people. 19 million could vote for candidate A and candidate B could only get the remainder. That doesn't mean that A has 19 million votes though, not really.

He's only credited for having what electoral points are designated for that state.

Example:

You could have four states. State 1, 2, 3 and 4.

States 1 and 2 could have ten people each. State 3 could have 21 people. State 4 could have 5 people.

Now, if candidate A wins states 1, 2, and 4, his overall votes would equate to 25 votes. (Assuming that the entire state votes in one or the other direction for simplification.)

Candidate B could only win state 3 and receive 21 votes in total.

Now, in a fair election, A is the winner, with a margin of 4. However, the states don't count that way. They count with electoral points. States 1, 2 and 4 could only equal 5 electoral points each (15 points). Whereas, state 3 could have an electoral worth of 16 points.

Meaning that the man with less states and the man with less votes could win the entire Presidential election.

Far-fetched? Not really.

George Bush won the election against Al Gore, becoming president, while losing the popular vote. Meaning that, even though Gore won more overall votes, Bush won due to electoral points.

Show the other side of that. The race between Bush and John Kerry came down to Ohio. However, even if Kerry had won Ohio, he'd have most likely ended up with less overall votes than Bush.

 

[ryanwwe]

I believe it is just so long as you know what your voting for and not who your voting for. I am far from being the most knowing about politics but i do know that most of them lie and dont accomplish half of what they promised to get elected. So the key is to decipher who is lying less and if you can determine that then it is worth it. We need to start voting for good ideas and plans and not our political party representative, thats when a votes not worth it. When you vote for someone for their political standpoint and not their ideas and plans.

 

[Navi]

You've got it half right. Your vote does make a difference; what it doesn't necessarily do is swing the election to the person you voted for. You're one of many.....but you still count, as long as you vote.

That's why I go out and vote in the elections. Your right about one vote not counting, but when added in with all the rest it might make a difference. Besides women had to fight for the right to vote, so throwing that right away is kind of silly.

In all honestly, with the current system in place; no.

All votes don't actually count. You could be in a state that has 20 million people. 19 million could vote for candidate A and candidate B could only get the remainder. That doesn't mean that A has 19 million votes though, not really.

He's only credited for having what electoral points are designated for that state.

That only happens with the election of President, every other position is determined by the popular vote. I agree with you that it's a ridiculous way to pick a President, because what your basically doing is disenfranchising half of the population. The President of the United States should win the White House based on how many people voted for him/her, not a bunch of stuffed shirts overturning the will of the people.

I believe it is just so long as you know what your voting for and not who your voting for. I am far from being the most knowing about politics but i do know that most of them lie and dont accomplish half of what they promised to get elected. So the key is to decipher who is lying less and if you can determine that then it is worth it. We need to start voting for good ideas and plans and not our political party representative, thats when a votes not worth it. When you vote for someone for their political standpoint and not their ideas and plans.

The problem with your scenario is that most politicians will lie, steal and cheat to get into office. They promise you the moon and then give you nothing. It's almost impossible to tell when they're lying and when they're not.

Also they might start out with good intentions, but when they reach Washington that's when the gridlock starts. It takes a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to get a bill through. I think most just give up and don't even bother after awhile.

The biggest problem with American politics is the two party system and the fact that you can basically stay in the Senate and Congress until you die. The President can only serve two terms and they should put a limit on members of the Senate and House. That way some of the idiots who just sit there to collect a pension would have to shove over to make way for a new group. Let them serve 3-4 sessions then get out. Having a new President every 8 years doesn't do any good when the same assholes in the House and Senate are still the ones making the decision's on what will become law.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Voting is always worth it. You should be happy that you are lucky enough to have that priviledge to begin with. Are the politicians corrupt? Yes, just about all of them. It's always some jerk running against some idiot because those are the only people corrupt enough to sell out long enough to last in the political scene. Granted I don't like the politicians either.... but it's great to be able to pick who I want to win. Would you rather live in a world where we have no say? I sure wouldn't. "Picking my poison" is worse than being force-fed it because at least then I have a say in the matter.